By Belize Live News Staff: A trip to the supermarket turned frightening for a 65-year-old retiree in Orange Walk Town, who told police a man nearly struck him with an iron crutch after being refused money, and it took a stranger’s intervention to stop it.
The Belize Police Department reports that Francisco Chan, of San Jose Village, was outside the 123 Supermarket on Liberty Avenue on the night of Monday, July 6, 2026, when a man using a pair of iron crutches approached him asking for money.
When Chan declined, he said, the man turned hostile, hurling insults before walking off. Two minutes later, according to the report, he was back, and this time the words gave way to something worse. Chan told police the man closed in, raised one of his crutches, and was on the verge of striking him when another man stepped between them. The retiree said the moment left him fearing for his life.
The commotion did not end there. A police officer working inside the supermarket was notified, and Chan reported that as the officer came out, the man quickly crossed to the other side of the avenue, where he continued to act aggressively toward other shoppers. Chan noted the storefront was well lit and his view unobstructed, adding that the man is a familiar face outside the supermarket, where he has often seen him asking passersby for money.
Police detained 41-year-old Gilberto Pott of Palmetto Street, Orange Walk Town, in connection with the report. After being cautioned and advised of his rights, he was held pending charges, and on Tuesday, July 7, he was formally arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
