Police Chase Down Driver Attempting to Avoid Routine Traffic Stop

A St. Thomas man was arrested Wednesday after he attempted to avoid a routine traffic stop and the police, the V.I. Police Department reported.

VIPD was conducting traffic enforcement on Frenchman’s Bay Road Wednesday. While officers were initiating stops, a 1998 silver Honda Civic exited its lane of traffic, turned around and drove off in the opposite direction and entered the Havensight area at a high rate of speed into oncoming traffic while trying to evade officers, who had responded immediately to the incident. The driver ignored fellow motorists and pedestrians, as he ran through red lights and finally drove through a locked gate, according to the police report.

The driver then jumped out of the vehicle with a backpack. While trying to flee from the officers he dumped out the contents from the bag, which included a firearm magazine that was loaded to capacity, a firearm and controlled substances, the police report stated.

The suspect later surrendered to law enforcement officers, the report stated.

Kishawn Castor, 20, was arrested and charged with possession of unlicensed firearm, delaying and obstructing, reckless endangerment, destruction of government property, fleeing the scene of an accident, possession of ammunition, and unregistered and uninsured vehicle. Bail was set at $91,000. Castor was unable to post bail and he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending his advice of rights hearing, police said.