FREDERIKSTED — Two men were arrested during a traffic stop after allegedly leaving a St. Croix beach with illegal weapons on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Rosniel Diaz-Bautista, 18, and Marcus Daniel, 22, were arrested at about 4:35 p.m. Sunday as police were conducting a traffic checkpoint on Hams Bluff Road near Rhythms at Rainbow Beach, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
Officers stopped a blue Honda Civic with no front license plate and no vehicle registration sticker, and the driver was unable to produce a license and did not have proof of registration or insurance, according to the fact sheet, according to the VIPD.
Police said they smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, and ordered the driver and two passengers — Diaz-Bautista and Daniel — to exit the vehicle so officers could conduct a search, court records indicate.
As officers prepared to pat down the two, one noticed that Daniel was “reaching towards the right side of his waistline,” and Diaz-Bautista “had both of his hands holding the front part of his waistline in what appeared to be an attempt to conceal an object,” according to court records.
Police did a pat-down search and found that Daniel had a .40-caliber handgun with a P80 receiver frame and Glock slide, with 15 live .40-caliber rounds in the magazine, in addition to a Smith & Wesson SD9 VE handgun with a chambered 9mm round and 14 live 9mm rounds in the magazine in Diaz-Bautista’s waistband, the VIPD’s probable cause fact sheet said.
Neither man has a license to carry a firearm in the territory, police said.
Each man was arrested and charged with carrying of a firearm openly or concealed, possession of an unauthorized firearm in a vehicle, and possession or sale of ammunition. Each was held on $50,000 bond and appeared in court via video conference for their advice of rights hearings today.
It was the first time that Diaz-Bautista and Daniel had been arrested, and Magistrate Judge Miguel Camacho ordered each man to post $2,000 cash in order to be released to third-party custodians pending trial.
The arrests come as police continue to battle a wave of gun violence and homicides in the territory, and the department has repeatedly pleaded with community members for help solving open investigations.
Anyone with information is asked to contact 911, the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 340-774-2211, the Crime Tip Line at (340) 778-4950, Crime Stoppers USVI, at 1-800-222-8477 or CrimeStoppersUSVI.org.