Family of 5 Robbed and shot at in Rotan

[Monkeylala]

The crime is real, it is scary, Most law abiding Islanders do not venture too much out at night due to the violent crime, Many are assaultd like the tourists and worst is even when caught they are out the next day because their family has friends.What happened here could happen anywhere, cruise sponsored or not, Difference is, most places have law enforcement that would look into it. Not Roatan, Tourist left, could not file report, people will b free soon

[Sarahsmomi]

The US has issued a travel warning to Roatan and all of Honduras.

[evandbob]

There are US service personnel with automatic rifles in Grand Central Station and other NYC places of interest. That doesn't keep me out of Manhattan. I've been to Roatan 10+ times as a cruise pax, and I'm going to stay there in West End a full week in February.

 

I doubt I'll rent a car though and go off on my own. While in Maui, I remember the street advice for rental cars was to park with all windows open and nothing left inside to prevent "smash and grab" thefts. Had a great time there and I'll have a great time in Roatan. NY street sense has always kept me safe and away from any danger when abroad. I won't shelter myself because of an unfortunate incident, but I will learn from it.

[blue_water]

Sara you'll want to read the travel warning so you can see Roatan is not the main area of concern.

[trvlgrl64]

Read the travel warnings carefully. Yes, Honduras has a crime problem, I don't think that is a surprise to anyone that is fairly well read or traveled. Roatan itself is quite safe and very rarely something does happen there. I've been a travel agent for 30 years and I live in Mexico part time. I still get amazed at people that live in high crime cities (in my case New Orleans) that are scared to go to Cancun because of the drug cartels! The city I live in in Mexico is quite safe if you use caution and intelligence. Going to an island, renting a car, and heading off the beaten path is the way some people like to travel. When they make that decision they must realize that they are taking some chances. I think that Americans have this level of fear that other citizens of countries just don't have.

 

Don't give up a wonderful day on a beautiful island because something "could" happen, your odds of it happening here in the U.S. are generally higher...remember that!

[blue_water]

Read the travel warnings carefully. Yes, Honduras has a crime problem, I don't think that is a surprise to anyone that is fairly well read or traveled. Roatan itself is quite safe and very rarely something does happen there. I've been a travel agent for 30 years and I live in Mexico part time. I still get amazed at people that live in high crime cities (in my case New Orleans) that are scared to go to Cancun because of the drug cartels! The city I live in in Mexico is quite safe if you use caution and intelligence. Going to an island, renting a car, and heading off the beaten path is the way some people like to travel. When they make that decision they must realize that they are taking some chances. I think that Americans have this level of fear that other citizens of countries just don't have.

 

Don't give up a wonderful day on a beautiful island because something "could" happen, your odds of it happening here in the U.S. are generally higher...remember that!

 

Very well stated trvlgrl, we too get a chuckle from the "don't go to Mexico" warnings. As you said anyone well-traveled or even well-read has a good sense of what's safe and what's not, and one can definitely see these beautiful places without irrational fears.

Thanks!

[ibcnusoon]

another incident, this time in a guided van:

 

The family robbed stated that another family sailing with Carnival had a shotgun pointed at them on a van during a sight-seeing excursion.

Here's the message posted on the Facebook Page:

 

"This past Thursday, during our Carnival Cruise port call, while driving on a beach access road on the northeast side of the island, a masked gunman sprung from the bushes about 30 feet in front of our car. With no warning he aimed and fired his semi-automatic weapon, striking the front hood of our rental vehicle. My wife and our three daughters, ages 8, 14, and 15, were with me. My immediate reaction was to put the car in reverse and try to back down the gravel/dirt access road to distance my family from the gunman. I wrecked the rental after driving approximately 75 yards in high speed reverse. The gunman pursued us on foot with pistol drawn. I got out of the car and when the gunman arrived he proceeded to rob us of cash, iPhones and camera. The encounter lasted approximately three minutes, and for most of that time he had his gun pointed either at me or at my daughters.

 

The gunman was 20-25 years old (best guess), brown native skin, black hair, about 5'8" tall, and weighed approximately 200 lbs. He spoke almost perfect "Island English".

 

Also on the same day, another cruise guest had a shotgun pointed at his family while on a sight-seeing guided van tour. They were also on a remote un-paved side road."

 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2014/01/articles/crime/crime-in-roatan-shots-fired-armed-robbery-of-carnival-cruise-passengers/

[tigercat]

Maybe I will try and contact Victor and ask if he could do that.

tigercat

[2Okies]

We made friends with an older man on our cruise last week that was traveling alone. He grabbed a taxi and just had the taxi driver take him on a tour of the island. He said it was very enjoyable, and they had a nice conversation. He said it was evident the taxi driver knew a lot of people on the island wherever they stopped.

Anyway, right before they were finished with the tour, the driver said he wanted our friend to meet someone. He said they were at the taxi stand, and there was a man visiting w/the other drivers. He was introduced to our friend as the "new" Roatan mayor. They had a long conversation about the "politics" going on in Roatan. Evidently it has been "run" by the same wealthy man as mayor for years, and many did not like him, and therefore he was taken out of office, and this new man installed. The old mayor was against the tourism, and bucked anything like that on the island. He has also let crime run rampant. However, the new mayor, who said he is not a politician - he is just an average citizen like everyone else, said he's going to do everything he can to make some changes. He did state that many citizens do not want to see the island become "touristy", but some DO want it to - so there is some division. However, he can see the advantages to their economy. He also said that anyone caught doing anything like what those men did to the people on the Carnival cruise will be put in jail. And, he said, in Roatan jail you don't even get food or water unless you have family that will bring you some. Basically - you are put in there and forgotten. So, no one wants to go to jail. He said he is also trying to make sure the taxi drivers, excursion operators, etc stay honest with the tourists, and anyone reported not doing so, will be jailed. He wants to work with the cruise lines to make Roatan a good place for people to come to.

Our friend found this very interesting. He said the man sounded very genuine, and concerned about his island. However, he did state there had been a lot of unrest on the island because of this new power change, and the difference in opinions of the tourism market. Our friend was told that around the week that the family was attacked is when a big protest was going on in Roatan regarding these things. That may be why the US issued a traveling advisory to Honduras.

I guess time will tell what will happen.