Man Beaten and Robbed Aboard Sarteneja Bus, Police Investigate

Police are investigating an incident in which a man was beaten and robbed while traveling on a Sarteneja bus en route to Belize City earlier today.  According to police reports, officers spoke with 34-year-old Fidel Urbina, a Belizean security guard of Sarteneja Street, who said he was traveling on the Sarteneja bus line after leaving the Orange Walk bus terminal sometime after 8:00 a.m. Urbina reported that he got into an altercation with an unknown male passenger over a seat on the bus.  Urbina told police that after the bus passed the Carmelita area, he was again confronted and allegedly attacked by several men. Reports indicate that the assailants placed a bucket over his head, beat him, and robbed him of his cellphone, which he later managed to recover. The attackers were reportedly consuming alcohol at the time of the incident.  Police say Urbina was eventually forced off the bus and left along the roadside near Vega’s Farm. He then sought police assistance. A medico-legal form was issued to Urbina, and he was escorted to the Northern Regional Hospital for medical attention.  Additional information from the victim’s wife indicates that no passengers, the conductor, the driver, or terminal staff intervened during the attack. Urbina was reportedly on his way to work at the time of the incident.  Police received information about the matter around 9:10 a.m. today, in the Posito area. Investigations are ongoing as authorities seek to identify and locate those responsible for the assault and robbery.