St. Thomas Man Strikes Bartender with Sledgehammer, Police Say

A St. Thomas man was arrested Thursday for allegedly striking a man with a sledgehammer, V.I. Police Department reported.

Officers were dispatched to Lindberg Bay Beach to speak with the male victim. According to the victim, the bartender at Aqua Park, he was serving a line of people, when 29-year-old Malik Webster Webster, skipped the line. The victim said that he asked Webster to return to the back of the line which caused him to become irate, according to the police report.

The victim recalled that Webster began yelling and swearing at him before retrieving a handgun from his waistband, chambering a round in the presence of several individuals. Webster then entered the business, attacked the victim with a sledgehammer, and punched the victim in the face, before fleeing the area. Surveillance footage of this incident supported the victim’s account, the police report stated.  

Webster was charged with assault in the third degree, reckless endangerment, brandishing and exhibiting a firearm, disturbance of peace, and simple assault, police stated.

Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to contact 911, the Criminal  Investigation Bureau, or the office of the Police Chief at (340)774-2211 or Crime Stoppers  V.I. at 1(800)222-8477. Information can be submitted via crimestoppersvi.org or p3tips.com