Violent Chopping on La Isla Cariñosa

Police are investigating a violent chopping incident that left a 37-year-old Orange Walk man hospitalised early Thursday morning in Caye Caulker.

The incident occurred around 12:40 a.m. in the Bahia area, where officers responded to reports of an assault. When they arrived, they found Mark Budd, a Belizean laborer from the Orange Walk District, suffering from multiple chop wounds to his body.

According to investigators, Budd had just arrived home shortly after 12:35 a.m. when he was confronted by a man wielding a machete. The attacker inflicted several injuries before fleeing the area, leaving Budd bleeding near his residence.

Police rushed Budd to the Caye Caulker Polyclinic for urgent treatment. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was later transferred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City, where he remains in a stable condition.

Authorities have not yet determined a motive for the attack, and the identity of the assailant is still unknown.