Assault Archives - Caribbean Safety and Security Net

2023-08-272023-08-27

3072 – 2023-08-02 – Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad – Scotland Bay – Assault

DATE: 2023-08-02 20:00
LOCATION: Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad – Scotland Bay
EVENT: Assault
HAND: 1
STOLEN ITEMS: cash, 2 phones, 1 tablet and all credit cards, dive mask
SECURED: N/A
DETAILS: A singlehander anchored his yacht in Scotland Bay, Trinidad. No other yachts were present. He purchased fish from a local fisherman. The fisherman returned again a few days later accompanied by a prostitute and again offered fish and also services. The services were declined and the 2 were invited onboard for a drink.

The captain was knocked unconscious and awoke in a daze sometime later with severe head injuries. He asked the fisherman for help and assistance with transit to the hospital. The fisherman asked for money. When the captain went below to get his wallet, he found that it had been emptied of all cash and credit cards, and realized he had been robbed. Also missing were 2 phones and a tablet. He asked the two to leave, and they departed.

The captain managed to take his boat to Chaguaramas late that night and received assistance from other cruisers. He was taken immediately to the hospital and admitted.

After discharge he returned to his yacht and a full report was made to the police, and later to his consulate.

Police have identified a suspect but have not been successful in locating/apprehending the man. He is also suspected in another incident of theft, see CSSN ALERT! 3088.

CSSN will as a matter of policy update this report if new information from the police is made available.
ID: 3072

2023-08-232023-08-29

3086 – 2023-05-19 – Colombia – Isla Tortuguilla – Assault

DATE: 2023-05-19 22:00
LOCATION: Colombia – Isla Tortuguilla
EVENT: Assault
HAND: 1
STOLEN ITEMS: Cell phones, laptops, outboard and small items.
SECURED: Does not apply
DETAILS: A yacht transiting from Panama to Cartagena anchored late in the day to overnight at Isla Tortuguilla. There were no other boats anchored there. They closed up and locked the boat for the night. At 2200HRs several men armed with automatic weapons arrived in an open boat with 40HP outboard and boarded.

The captain reluctantly opened up and the men ransacked the yacht. They collected valuables and then with a blast of gunfire forced all of the crew into the open boat and took them ashore where they were held hostage at gunpoint overnight. The crew was treated roughly but there were no physical injuries. The youngest crew member was handcuffed and then “interviewed” by the leader. The thieves seemed to think the crew was involved in drug smuggling, but found no drugs. They made it clear visitors were not welcome.

The next morning, the thieves returned the hostages to the yacht and released them, and stole the outboard engine.

The crew departed and plans to make a report to their consular officials.
ID: 3086

2023-06-17

3036 – 2023-06-13 – Saint Lucia – Anse Canaries – Assault

DATE: 2023-06-13 00:05
LOCATION: Saint Lucia – Anse Canaries
EVENT: Assault
HAND: 1
STOLEN ITEMS: Cash, tablet, phone, VHF radios, all clothing and food, chartplotter and GPS, epoxy resin and hardener, earphones, backpack, dinghy/9.8HP Tohastu
SECURED: Not Locked
DETAILS: UPDATED REPORT : The victim has provided additional detail. This report replaces the original secondhand report previously published.

A singlehander anchored in Anse Canaries between 1700-1800HRS, there were no other yachts in the anchorage. He was awakened with a machete to his throat just after midnight. Three(3) young men had arrived by kayak and boarded the unlocked yacht. The captain complied with their demands, was threatened with death and then tied up by one of the 2 masked men. Over the course of 2 hours the men stole cash, electronics, all food and clothing and then departed in the yachts dinghy with the kayak in tow. The captain sustained minor injuries but was able to untie himself.

The thieves had left behind the trackable Garmin In-Reach which the captain used to contact and inform family members, who then contacted Interpol who then engaged the local St. Lucia marine police. The yacht departed immediately but was met many miles offshore sometime later by the marine police. A verbal report was made and the yacht continued to its next port. A full report was made with local officials on arrival and St. Lucian officials later that day. St. Lucian officials reported that they had recovered the dinghy/outboard ashore. An investigation was opened by St. Lucia police, and efforts are underway to get the dinghy/outboard back to the owner.

CSSN will update this report if authorities make progress with arrest/prosecution.

NOTE: This is not the first recent instance of armed robbery in this bay, or nearby in the Soufriere/Pitons area. No arrests have been made in any of the earlier cases. Utilize the CSSN archives and Zoom-Tap maps for 2022 to easily review those 5 incidents.
ID: 3036

2023-06-042023-06-04

CSSN News – June 4, 2023 – Convictions in assault case Nombre de Dios, Panama

CSSN previously reported a robbery (7-13-2019), and 2 violent assaults (11-3-2019, and 11-8-2019) in Nombre de Dios, Panama. The cases are believed to be related. Six men were taken into custody in 2019. La Prensa reports that the Panamanian courts have completed their prosecution cases and the judges have sentenced four men.

The four men have been convicted of aggravated rape, aggravated robbery and illicit association, and will each serve 20 years in prison then 5 years additional disqualification from attendance/employment in parks, kindergartens, schools or any place where minors are regularly grouped.

2023-04-202023-04-22

CSSN NEWS – Important updates to report of assault in Portobello, Panama

CSSN NEWS

Previously CSSN published a preliminary 2nd hand report (#2011) about a serious assault that occurred in Portobello, Panama on March 26, 2023. The victims have provided a full update and the original report now includes important additional information :

At 0015HRS on their second night in the bay, the three crew onboard an anchored monohull were boarded and assaulted by 2 masked/hooded men, one armed with a gun. They awoke to their dog barking as the men entered through the unlocked companionway. A vigorous fight ensued in both the salon and cockpit as the crew attempted to defend themselves with their fists and a winch handle. Two times the masked gunman attempted to discharge his semiautomatic handgun at the crew, but it failed to fire. The two ejected cartridges were recovered later, and showed no dents in the casings.

The 2 assailants abandoned the fight and departed when they realized they were outnumbered and unable to successfully fire their semiautomatic handgun. They had been onboard for about 5 minutes. They jumped into the water, leaving behind the kayak they had stolen earlier from another yacht. The bloodied crew was badly shaken and made multiple calls for help on VHF16, but there was no response. They sounded a loud alarm and began yelling from the deck, but no one anchored or ashore made any response to their calls for help. Phone calls to the police went unanswered. They treated their injuries and waited for daylight.

Later that day a police report was made with assistance ashore from a local business. The crew learned from the police that their website information was incorrect and had not been updated. The yacht departed to Linton Bay where their yacht was searched the next morning by the police with assistance from Aeronaval. No forensics were collected. That night at 2230HRs a large contingent of officers returned with a court order and again searched the victims yacht very thoroughly for several hours. Again, no forensics were collected.

A report was made to the captain’s home country consulate, and the victims departed Panama.

You can review the complete and fully updated report here.