A 19-year-old man was arrested early Wednesday morning after police discovered a firearm with an obliterated serial number within his reach during a traffic stop on St. Thomas, the V.I. Police Department reported.
At approximately 12:59 a.m. Virgin Islands Police Department officers initiated a traffic stop on a white Acura near Dorothy Lockhart Elskoe Drive (Raphune Hill). The vehicle fled at high speed toward Alton Adams Drive before being abandoned by the driver and a passenger near Third Street. Both individuals were seen fleeing with firearms toward First Avenue, according to the police report.
Officers discovered a third occupant, identified as Amarye Farrell, seated in the rear of the vehicle. Farrell, dressed in black, was found in proximity to a firearm with an obliterated serial number and a loaded extended magazine. He was arrested and charged with constructive possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, the police report stated.
Farrell was unable to post $60,000 bail and was turned over to the Bureau of Corrections pending an Advise of Rights hearing on Thursday, the report stated.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities urge anyone with information to contact 911 or the Office of the Police Chief.
