FREDERIKSTED — A St. Croix man faces domestic violence charges after investigators said he rammed his pickup truck into his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle repeatedly during rush hour traffic on the Queen Mary Highway last week.
Jamal Lynch, of Grove Place, was arrested at 6:57 p.m. Tuesday and charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree assault-domestic violence and reckless driving, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The 911 Emergency Call Center dispatched officers to Estate Two Williams near Kmart West at 5:00 p.m. on November 10 in reference to a reported case of third-degree assault, according to the VIPD.
A female victim told police she was traveling east on the Queen Mary Highway near the Vitran-designated bus stop near Kmart West at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday when her ex-boyfriend Lynch rear ended her black sedan with his red pickup truck, according to VIPD documents filed in Superior Court.
“(The victim) stated that Mr. Jamal Lynch collided into the vehicle she was operating while it was still in motion causing her to lose control,” the probable cause fact sheet says. “E.G. stated that, once again, Mr. Lynch once again then rammed the rear end of her vehicle once more before driving up beside the right passenger side of the vehicle and impacting (ramming) it again to its right side thereby forcibly pushing it off the eastbound lane while she was still inside the vehicle and with traffic still traversing on both lanes (eastbound and westbound).”
The woman told police that Lynch’s truck rammed her sedan three times then parked in front of her vehicle in an effort to prevent her from leaving, according to the sworn police affidavit.
“E.G. stated that the red-colored truck was not displaying any license plates,” the probable cause fact sheet says. “E.G. stated that she then observed Mr. Lynch exiting his truck in the middle of Queen Mary’s eastbound lane, preventing traffic from flowing and piling up behind them both.”
The female victim told police that Lynch started “advancing towards her with an angry look on his face,” according to the sworn police affidavit.
“E.G. stated she was in fear for her life because she knows he can assault her because he has done it in the past where pictures were taken (by) the police of her injuries,” the probable cause fact sheet says. “E.G. stated with the help of other concerned citizens on the scene were blocking Mr. Lynch from walking closer toward(s) her, she was able to turn around and flee in her vehicle in the opposite direction (westbound on the Queen Mary Highway) away from Mr. Lynch and towards her sister’s residence.”
The female victim told police that Lynch has assaulted her “numerous times” in the past, according to the sworn VIPD affidavit.
“E.G. stated that she did not sustain any visible injuries from the collision, but stated she was experiencing pain to her neck and back as a result of the repetitive impacts (collisions) from Mr. Lynch’s red truck towards the vehicle she was operating,” the probable cause fact sheet says.
When police contacted Lynch at his Estate Grove Place residence, he refused to disclose the whereabouts of his red-colored truck, according to the sworn VIPD affidavit.
“Mr. Lynch stated that he did not drive any red truck because it was not registered and that the truck was at a friend’s house,” the probable cause fact sheet says. “Mr. Lynch stated that the friend does not want random people knowing where he resides, thereby not wanting to disclose the whereabouts of his truck.”
However, a concerned citizen, who wished to remain anonymous, came forward to tell police that he was driving on the Queen Mary Highway near Kmart West on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. when he saw a red pickup truck in front of him crash into a black Mazda vehicle, pushing the sedan forward, according to the VIPD sworn affidavit.
“The citizen stated that he initially thought the collision was a traffic collision, until he observed the same red pickup truck speed up and collide into black Mazda vehicle several times again, this time even harder,” the probable cause fact sheet states. “The citizen then stated that an unknown black male individual got out of the car shortly after it parked in front of the black Mazda vehicle, while arguing/yelling at the driver of the black Mazda.”
The concerned citizen produced a brief video of the incident that he had taken while the assault was underway and police viewing the video were able to determine that the red pickup truck had a broken right brake taillight lens and no license plate, according to the sworn police affidavit.
Police said the victim was visibly shaken by the incident when they interviewed her and also observed extensive damage had been done to the rear and right side of the black Mazda and that red paint scratches were visible in the areas of the damage, the probable cause fact sheet states.
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