A routine traffic interaction between two serving Belize City police officers erupted into physical violence at a local gas station last week, leaving one officer facing criminal assault charges and already granted court-ordered bail ahead of his upcoming trial.
The incident unfolded on the city’s streets when 31-year-old Police Constable Louis Pascascio allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Saint Thomas Street, before driving his vehicle into the Puma gas station located on Freetown Road. Fellow officer Police Constable Jose Mejia witnessed the traffic violation, followed Pascascio to the refueling stop, and moved forward to initiate a standard traffic stop for the infraction.
In official statements given to investigators, Mejia told authorities that Pascascio refused to comply with multiple verbal orders to halt his vehicle and remain at the scene. Instead, Pascascio exited his car, advanced directly toward Mejia, and struck him with an open-handed slap that left Mejia with a laceration to his lower lip. Mejia was able to take control of the situation quickly, restraining Pascascio and taking him into custody at the gas station before he could cause further harm.
Pascascio was formally charged with aggravated assault in connection with the altercation, and made his first appearance before a Belize District court this week. Following the hearing, Magistrates granted the officer bail, but imposed a strict restraining condition as part of his release terms: Pascascio is required to stay a minimum of 100 feet away from complainant Jose Mejia at all times until his case concludes. He is next scheduled to appear in court on July 30, when the prosecution will complete the required disclosure of evidence in the case.
Court and police records also uncovered a prior legal incident linked to Pascascio: in 2024, he faced another separate assault charge tied to firearms, which involved well-known Belizean national athlete Shaun Gill. That earlier case was ultimately withdrawn by prosecutors before it could go to trial, leaving no conviction on Pascascio’s record from that incident.
The in-house altercation between two sworn officers has drawn local attention to internal discipline within Belize’s law enforcement community, as the judicial process moves forward to resolve the latest assault allegation.