That's why this morning the Eastern Division Command had a sit down with operatives of two of the city's crime crews. By 11:00 am, police thought they had put a damper on the escalating hostilities. After all they'd had a peace session, took a live hand grenade off the streets and detained two notorious figures - all in the hopes of preventing what occurred this afternoon. Here's what they had to say at the morning briefing.

Alfonso Noble Reporting,
Police say that escalating hostilities between rival Belize City gangs led one unidentified Belize City youth to ride around with this hand grenade.

ACP Crispin Jeffries, Eastern Division
"The police intercepted another male person who we suspect may have been involved or may have been in possession of a hand grenade. It could be connected with people from the George Street area as the male person found in possession of it, or the suspect suspected to have been in possession of it, was caught in the Plues Street area of Belize City."

Alfonso Noble,
Do you believe that there are other grenades out there?

ACP Crispin Jeffries,
"That information is out there. It has been out there for some time, that there are grenades on the streets of Belize City. This is not the first grenade that the police have taken over the streets of Belize City."

Alfonso Noble,
Is it a live grenade?

ACP Crispin Jeffries,
"Yes it is."

The removal of the hand grenade was preceded by the arrest of two notorious figures: Arthur Young and Kenneth "Big Tom" Flowers. They were busted on Saturday when police searched a van they were in.

ACP Crispin Jeffries,
"Two persons were arrested for being in possession of a firearm, persons who we consider to be high profile because of a number of street incidents. We know for a fact, because of conversations with these persons, that there has been rivaling comments and actions by them and others against them that we saw the need to address. At that meeting this morning we spoke with Arthur Young, we spoke with Kenneth Flowers. Both persons were arrested over the weekend for being in possession of a firearm and for possession of drugs as well as ammunition.

We know for a fact that we intercepted those groups on Friday and we may have prevented some sort of street rivalry. Had we allowed them to engage each other, which we understand they were rivaling groups riding around, then it would have had some serious violent action in the streets of Belize City."

And police say they were able to prevent violence over the weekend because an 18 month rivalry between George Street and Ghost Town has been brewing and it is believed to be escalating. The hand grenade in possession of George Street and the gun in possession of Ghost Town members.

ACP Crispin Jeffries,
"We suspect that these are two separate incidents but they are coming out of groups, we hear and understand are rivaling each other and are in fact creating some sort of threat to the Belizean society. Both parties have been informed that the community is very much concerned and we are concerned for their safety, hence the reason why we wanted to highlight and sensitize these things or sensitize the public and the media to these things. We are making an effort to appeal to the friends and families of these people to encourage them to act lawfully and desist from any act of violence in the street of Belize City. We are again launching an effort to intervene prior to street violence erupting to see if we can preempt or prevent some violent confrontation. The other parties, whose name I refuse to call at this time, came out of the area referred to as George Street. It is a known fact that Arthur Young was arrested and charged, taken to court, and was freed by the court in relation to an alleged murder of a person connected to people from George Street. There were several incidents that occurred in 2005 and in 2006 that also connect Kenneth Flowers to incidents rivaling those on George Street and those persons were brought in this morning and they were sensitized to the dangers and the horrific and catastrophic impact of throwing a grenade or continuously running around Belize City streets discharging high power weapons."

But it seems that warning had little effect. Just hours later - in broad daylight, not only were weapons discharged, a life was taken.

Both Kenneth "Big Tom" Flowers and Arthur Young appeared before Magistrate Margaret McKenzie who remanded them until November 27th. As for the man who was caught with the hand grenade police are for unknown reasons refusing to release his name or disclose whether or not he will be charged.