And about an hour after that, there was another armed assault. But this one had a much different ending. Belize City residents will know Modesto Madrill of Magazine Road; he’s called Muddy because he sells spuddy, a tasty and inexpensive local wine that carries quite a kick. But that’s also made him the target for criminals. In August of 2005, Madrill used a two foot long machete to fight off an attacker who tried to rob him at with a 380 pistol. And last night it was like déj� vu, as another gunman held him up, and again, the wily Madrill fought back. Here’s the story.

Jules Vasquez Reporting,
Modesto Madrill was in his store at about eight last night sitting in this chair when a young man came to his window and ordered one of his wines. When Madrill got up to serve him, he heard something coming in through the side of the store.

Modesto Madrill,
“I dun know dah somebody who nuh business inna di try get in. So I just put down the wine, put down the wine and swing right round and by the time I swing round the young man dun in the shop. So he said like this, nuh do no stupidness because ih got ah a gun. So when I spin my head fi look so, I see the person with a gun. So when I swing back my head he come back close to me and I grab ah by inna ih shirt cause ih taller than me, I grab ah inna ih shirt and we start to wrestle. And then I holla fi my son Earl. The person outside say like this, nuh mek no noise because I will shoot you. Well I nuh answa, I just halla Earl again, I holla Earl like four times and he deh in deh the wrestle with them, like for ten minutes we di wrestle. We di wrestle til I get ah to the door because my tools deh dah the door. I had a machete right by the door, the police deh have that machete now. So when deh get dah the door, I put one hand in his shirt collar and I haul di machete. When I haul di machete again I start to chop. When I mi di chop ah yah he holla like, I could use the bad word, ih seh bwoy shoot ah shoot shoot ah, yuh noh si di f mi up. But ih look like dah one done gaan long time. Same time my son get there and my son grab ah and they start to wrestle. Then I start juk ah with the machete then, juk ah with the machete and when I look, the neighbour come yah with a machete so I tell Earl let ah go. Earl let ah go and when ih come yah, the boy, well he whap with the machete and when ih swing back fi gaan in and when ih gaan in ih meet me again and dat dah when I chop ah.”

Earl Madrill,
“Something click inna two of we like when I punch he chop, every time I punch, when I pull back my hand he chop, when he pull back fi he hand from chop, I punch.”

Jules Vasquez,
Unu work like a tag team.

Earl Madrill,
“Yeah you woulda seh.”

Modesto Madrill,
“Then ih run and ih fall down right yah and from there ih run and a pants ih had on come off and ih continue run. My son came out and bwoy name Chrisna, ih say Chrisna whe ih gone, ih mek we run ah down, nuh mek ih get away, and they run down and ketch a by the phone booth.”

That’s here a block away where the young man got more of a beating. Blood stains mark the path that he took as he fled.

Earl Madrill,
“We chase ah down and we ketch ah corner Magazine Road and Vernon Street and we start to deal with ah again.”

Jules Vasquez,
So the police actually saved ah?

Earl Madrill,
“Yeah you could seh that cause even when the police deh deh, I still di try put in a lil one cent two cent more.”

Turns out the attacker or at least the one they caught whose mask was left behind at the scene and whose blood is splattered all across the freezer is only 17 years old.

Jules Vasquez,
How you feel fi know dat dah what 17 year old di come up pon you like that?

Modesto Madrill,
“I nuh feel no way if I could kill ah maybe I woulda kill ah too. I always mention it to them because sometimes they come ask me, they will have to have fight in there to get whe in deh. They will have to kill me fi tek out whe in deh. That is my way of thinking. I jus noh fraid. I nuh scared. I always say I nuh scared of them. To me to, my belief maybe different from everybody else. I think God protect me, that is my belief.”

Earl Madrill,
Dis lee bit a money whe they try rob my pa fa really nuh mek no sense cause then it is a whole lot ih di look fi try tek outta my mouth, my niece deh mouth, my pah mouth.”

Police report that the 17 year old an unemployed of Neal’s Pen Road was chopped to both hands, back, neck and head area. He is recovering at the KHMH under police guard and investigators are looking for the second suspect.