Officers with a multi-agency violent offender task force arrested two men and seized one gun on Monday evening on St. Thomas.
The task force — consisting of officers from the Special Operations Bureau, CIB, K-9, Zone A Patrol, the COVID-19 Task Force and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs — was doing traffic enforcement around Weymouth Rhymer Highway at 5 p.m. on Monday when the driver of a black Toyota with tinted windows past the AS-1 line and with no front license plate was ordered to stop but continued traveling west, almost striking an officer, according to a V.I. Police Department press release.
The driver of the vehicle fled the area at a high rate of speed and attempted to elude the police, then fled on foot with a passenger, who was seen discarding a small bag, police said. An investigation later revealed that the bag had a firearm and multiple magazines, the report stated.
The driver, 27-year-old Tevin Peters, was placed under arrest for third-degree assault, reckless endangerment, failing to stop when ordered by the police, window tint past the AS-1 line, no front license plate affixed to the vehicle, delaying and obstructing, and failing to stop when ordered by the police, the press release stated.
Passenger Jovanti Benjamin, 21, was charged and arrested for third-degree assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, reckless endangerment in the first degree, and possession of ammunition.
Both Peters and Benjamin were unable to post bail and were remanded to the Bureau of Corrections to await their advice of rights hearings.
