Police on St. Thomas charged a suspect with having an unlicensed firearm and trying to keep them from doing their duty by dodging apprehension. Arresting officers said when they finally found and subdued their suspect, he gave a candid explanation for his circumstances.
According to a report filed in Superior Court, defendant Kayamba Prince was spotted by a police patrol on Oct. 16. At the time, they said he was fleeing from another officer chasing him on foot.
Allegedly ignoring commands to stop running, Prince was seen holding a backpack out in front of him with both hands as he ducked into an alley.
By then, the backpack was discarded, the report said, and the suspect was heard rattling a fence. Patrol officers joined the chase and caught up with him, but they said it took effort — and several commands to let go of the fence — to capture him. As he was taken to the ground and handcuffed, officers said the suspect had cuts on his hands, a toe, and a knee.
A search of the alley yielded a handgun. After being read his Miranda rights, the defendant explained his actions to authorities. “Mr. Prince stated, ‘You cannot own a license for a firearm if you are in the streets selling drugs. You will find drugs in my bag if you open it. Regardless, I thought you was doing your job,’ “ the report said.
Prince was transported to the Roy L. Schneider Hospital for treatment of his injuries and later charged with possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition. He was also charged with disobeying lawful orders.
Superior Court Magistrate Simone Van Holten-Turnbull found probable cause to uphold the charges at a hearing held Wednesday.
On St. Croix, a man engaged as a security worker was arrested Monday, charged with second-degree assault. Police said they responded to the call of a pedestrian who said he was accosted by accused assailant Gary Morton and sprayed in the face with mace without explanation.
Court documents said when police questioned the accused, he said the incident began when he saw the victim walking by the building he was assigned to. “Mr. Morton stated that he asked (the victim) if he remembered who he was in which (the victim) replied, ‘Yeah, security,’ “ the report said.
The accused then allegedly doused the victim with the mace, leaving him red-eyed, runny-nosed, and wincing.
Upon further questioning, the accused said the victim did not engage him, but he feared for his safety and acted out of fear.
Superior Court Magistrate Ernest Morris scheduled a preliminary hearing for Wednesday at the Magistrate’s Court on Kingshill. No disposition was filed by day’s end.
