ERIE, PA. (THECOUNT) — One of the suspects charged in a shootout following a drug deal gone bad last week in Erie, Pennsylvania, is notorious Belize criminal, Jermaine Belgrave, ErieNewsNow is reporting.
Belgrave, 36, who resides in Chicago, has laundry list of criminal offences in his home country of Belize, which is in Central America, including shooting at police officers and murder.
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Belgrave is reportedly a member of a well-known Belize gang called the Taylor Alley Gang.
Erie police said Belgrave traveled to Erie with three others from Chicago to sell a kilo of heroin for $80,000; they are calling it an upper-level drug deal. Belgrave faces drugs, weapons and assault charges after Erie police said he fired back at the duo who stole his dope.
In Belize, Belgrave has been charged in several armed robberies and shootings, including murder and attempted murder.
ErieNewsNow spoke with Belize police who confirm they are familiar with Belgrave and his criminal past. That’s likely in large part because of a 2012 incident when Belgrave was charged with opening fire at two Belize Police officers.
According to published reports, Belize officers identified Belgrave as one of the shooters. They said they came under heavy gunfire and were shot at multiple times. Belgrave testified that it was not him and that he was somewhere else, and a jury found him and a co-defendant not guilty.
Belgrave remains in an Erie hospital recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He is reportedly in stable condition. He was arraigned on 9 criminal counts, and his bond was set at $500,000.
Another one of the men from Chicago who was shot in the foot – Charles Baizar, 35 – is also believed to be an immigrant from Belize. He faces drug charges.
Read more in-depth on ErieNewsNow.
Geo quick facts: Erie is a city in Pennsylvania, on Lake Erie. Presque Isle State Park, a peninsula with beaches and trails, curves around Presque Isle Bay. Nearby, Waldameer Park & Water World has roller coasters and waterslides. The Erie Maritime Museum traces the history of Lake Erie and is the home port of the US Brig Niagara, an updated 19th-century ship. The Erie Art Museum’s art collection features 20th-century works – wikipedia.