CHRISTIANSTED — A tailgating driver allegedly hit the motorist in front of him on purpose, then when each driver confronted the other on foot, the tailgating driver got the other motorist in a headlock, bit him on the left eye and knocked him down with his vehicle as he was driving away.
Perry Henderson was arrested and charged with first-degree assault, third-degree assault, possession of a dangerous weapon during the commission of a crime of violence, and destruction of property, Superior Court records show.
The case began on the morning of July 12, when officers were dispatched to investigate a reported disturbance in the Beeston Hill area of Christiansted, court records indicate. As police were leaving the Ancilmo Marshall Command, they saw a man walking towards them with what appeared to be blood on his face. He informed them that he had been hit by a vehicle near the Beeston Hill gym, prompting the officers to summon emergency medical services to assist him.
Mug shot of Perry Henderson of St. Croix
A short time later, Perry Henderson, the accused tailgating driver appeared at the police station. Henderson told officers that someone had stolen his vehicle. The bleeding man identified Henderson as the person who had struck him with the vehicle.
Police asked Henderson what had happened. He told them that his vehicle had been stolen, but he was reluctant to provide more details, as doing so might tend to incriminate him.
Police then went to the injured man, who was receiving treatment at the Juan F. Luis hospital. He provided them with a statement, indicating that he was driving near the Tide Village service station traveling west, when he noticed a vehicle tailgating him.
He tried to lose the driver by going east along the Christiansted Bypass, and when he got near Contentment Road, stopped completely to allow the vehicle tailing him to pass. But the tailgating driver also stopped. So the man decided to drive west again.
But the tailgating vehicle persisted — and the black Ford Escape collided with him as he was heading towards Beeston Hill gym.
At this point, each vehicle stopped. And each man exited their respective vehicle. Henderson reportedly accused the other man of vehicle theft. When the man tried to prove to Henderson that he owned the vehicle he was driving, Henderson reportedly put him in a headlock.
The pair fell to the ground, and the man told police that he began to lose consciousness. In a bid to get Henderson to loosen his grip, the man said he bit his assailant’s finger, upon which Henderson reportedly bit his left eye. The man’s attempt to call police was also foiled when Henderson reportedly took his phone and slammed it onto the ground, breaking the device.
Henderson eventually released the other man from the headlock, but reportedly began threatening to kill him. When the man tried to get back to his vehicle, Hendrson reportedly knocked him down with the Escape, before leaving the area.
The man told police that he made several attempts to get help from passing vehicles, but with nobody stopping to assist, he eventually got up and drove to the police station for help. Officers took note of the bite mark on his eye, several broken front teeth, and injuries to the man’s top lip. He also complained of pain in his knees, and in the ribs on the left side of his body.
With Henderson declining to provide any further information to police, he was arrested and charged with the offenses listed above. Bail for the suspect was initially set at $25,000.
In court on Monday, Magistrate Yolan Brow Ross found probable cause to uphold all charges against Henderson. Judge Brow Ross also increased bail to $75,000. The next court hearing on this matter is scheduled for July 31.