VIPD Apprehends St. Thomas Man Wanted on Assault Charges

A man wanted by the V.I. Police Department for allegedly threatening another man with a gun in September was apprehended Tuesday on St. Thomas and is facing assault charges, the VIPD reported.

The victim first contacted police on Nov. 26 to report that on Sept. 11, he was sitting in his vehicle when Arnold Malone, 47, banged on the windshield while speaking under his breath, removed a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at him for no apparent reason, according to the report.

The victim said Malone accused him of “talking about him with other people,” then walked away, but returned and pointed the firearm directly at his face, the report stated. The victim said Malone pointed the weapon at him three times, it said.

Police issued a wanted poster for Malone on Feb. 24, and on Tuesday, the Criminal Investigation Bureau received information that he was at a medical office building on St. Thomas. Officers met with him and he was transported to the Criminal Investigation Bureau, where he was arrested and charged with third-degree assault, disturbance of the peace, unlawful possession of a firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, Malone was sentenced in October 2020 to 33 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm after discharging a gun inside a St. Thomas business on Aug. 22, 2019, when he was denied entry by the manager. Prior to that incident, he was convicted of attempted first-degree murder and carrying/use of a dangerous weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to court documents, and was not authorized to carry a firearm under federal law.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call 911, the Criminal Investigation Bureau, or the office of the police chief at 340-774-2211. You may also submit information via Crime Stoppers USVI, at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), crimestoppersvi.org or p3tips.com.