CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A man caught crawling under a car to steal its battery in a St. Thomas parking lot was charged with attacking a man with a conch shell, authorities said.
Louie P. Vaccaro, 51, of Estate Nazareth, was arrested at 7:36 p.m. and charged with third-degree assault and disturbance of the peace, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
According to the victim, on June 11, 2022, he observed Vaccaro (who is his landlord’s son) removing a battery from underneath the hood of another tenant’s vehicle, the VIPD said.
“The victim approached Mr. Vaccaro and asked him whether he had asked for permission, to which Mr. Vaccaro responded, ‘No,'” VIPD Communications Director Glen Dratte said. “The victim later alerted the other tenant of this incident, who notified the 911 Emergency Call Center.”
The stolen battery was later returned by Vaccaro, who is a native of New York, according to police.
“However, Mr. Vaccaro became irate after learning that the victim had exposed him,” Dratte said. “Mr. Vaccaro assaulted the victim with several conch shells, causing lacerations and contusions to the victim’s lower extremities.”
A wanted poster was issued on August 22, 2022, for Mr. Vaccaro.
Vaccarro surrendered to police without incident on Sunday.
Bail for Vaccaro was set at $25,000. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Corrections pending an advice-of-rights hearing.