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Courtney Weatherburne reporting
This 4 Runner taxi was the escape car for 2 city thieves. It was their ride to freedom after they robbed a Gas Station in the Belize River Valley area. But they never got to take that ride because Ladyville police apprehended them shortly after the holdup.

It happened at 1 yesterday afternoon at the Scotland Half-moon Gas Station.

It was a typical afternoon inside the store, the cashier Benjamin Schrock was behind the counter and he had just served a customer when

2 boys dressed in the Fort Point Security uniforms barged in through the back door and held everyone up.

And it was all caught on the security camera

Benjamin Schrock, Manager
"We couldn't have done anything. They had a gun and made us laydown and they went to get the other guys which they brought in. they got us all on the ground where they took all the money, our phones, backpacks and a few deodorants and things and they left. I was kind of shaken up afterwards because I got nervous."

You can see the thieves creeping in from the back door and slipping into the store

And then they emerged, one waving a gun in the air, forcing the shop keeper and another customer inside. He hit 2 of the customers in the head with the gun and took their phones. After that you don't see much for a while but the shop keeper told us off camera that the men went behind the counter, told him and the cashier to lay on the ground and pointed a gun at his head - demanding money.

Voice of Shop Keeper
"The guy got the gun, put it at my head and told the next guy he should open the safe or else he would shoot me. I told him to go ahead and do it."

Reporter
"Oh so they put the gun to your head and told cashier to open it or else he will shoot you?"

Voice of Shop Keeper
"Yes."

After they cleaned out the register, the men closed the shutters and went out through the back door into these bushes. But these thieves didn't make it too far because police had their plan all figured out, that is how they foiled the robbery.

ACP Edward Broaster, O.C, Eastern Rural Division
"One of our officers who is an expert in tracking, led the team of officers to an area in the jungle where they accosted the two individuals. One of whom ran into a pasture and was attacked by a cow and the officers were quick enough to rescue him from that danger and took him out the pasture. In the jungle, the officers recovered all the properties that were stolen from the gas station and the patrons at the gas station including the firearm and the ammunition. The officers were diligent in their pursuit and uncovered information where the getaway vehicle, which is a black 4Runner was supposed to come and pick up the two robbers. So they waited in the jungle as well, and sure enough the taxi came to pick up the robbers and he was also apprehended and arrested."

While the police have closed this case and recovered all the stolen items, the shop owners now have to overcome the shock:

Voice of Shop Keeper
"Any moment you can just die. Life is a very unique thing and you should live life in the eyes that God want us to live."

And that faith is the only thing bringing them through this brazen Half Moon holdup.

The 17 year old minor and 22 year old Trevor Mcfoy have been charged for three counts of robbery. Mcfoy was additionally charged for keeping a firearm and ammunition, namely a nine millimeter CFZ pistol with 8 live rounds, without a gun license.

The three persons who came to pick them up in the four runner are not being charged at this time - until police can get phone records which link them to Mcfoy and the minor.

On the other side of the story, the pair claim that police beat them up - so they are being referred to the Professional Standards branch.