SAN IGNACIO, Cayo District, Sun. Sept. 3, 2017–Less than two months ago, a suspected Guatemalan car thief was gunned down after an attempt to jack a car on the Bullet Tree Road was foiled.

On Saturday night, car thieves made yet another attempt in the same general vicinity.

Efrain Cu, 30, a taxi operator, told police that sometime around 9 o’clock on Saturday night, he had picked up three Hispanic men from the Welcome Center area of downtown San Ignacio.

He then took them to an area on Collins Boulevard off the Bullet Tree Road.

However, instead of alighting the vehicle and paying for the taxi service, the men, apparently foreigners, informed Cu that he was being robbed.

Cu tried to escape, but was shot four times, twice in the right upper shoulder, once in the left upper chest and once in the left upper leg.

Cu was left for dead by the men, who then took off in his vehicle. However, less than a kilometer away, they abandoned the vehicle, which had an estimated value of $10,500, according to police.

When officers responded to calls which reported shots being fired, they found Cu, badly injured, a short distance from his vehicle.

He was rushed to the Western Regional Hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.

Police have not yet made any arrests in connection with the incident, and have warned motorists to exercise extreme caution, given the recent incidents of carjacking in the area.