An American citizen hijacked a Tropic Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX plane (reg. V3-HIG) in Belize at knifepoint on Thursday, injuring three passengers before being fatally shot by another passenger with a licensed firearm, according to Belizean police.
The plane was scheduled to operate a domestic flight from Corozal to San Pedro. The suspect, Akinyela Sawa Taylor, was one of 16 people on board, including two pilots and two Americans. He demanded that the plane be refuelled and flown out of the country. As the aircraft circled and neared fuel exhaustion, a passenger intervened and shot the hijacker in the chest.
Three injured passengers—all Belizean—suffered knife wounds. The pilot was praised for his heroic actions, and the U.S. Embassy is assisting in the ongoing investigation. Authorities are also probing how Taylor, who had been previously refused entry into Belize, was able to board with a knife.
???#BREAKING | NEWS??A US citizen hijacks a tropic airplane (V3HHG) with 13 passengers aboard it was hijacked by a man with a knife and injured three. When the plane landed at the Philip Goldson international Airport in Belize, he was met with dozens of police all the… pic.twitter.com/gtb4wOqVZl
— Todd Paron?????? (@tparon) April 17, 2025
