CHARLOTTE AMALIE — While police were managing traffic during the Jah Love Concert at Pier 22 in Havensight in St. Thomas on Saturday night, a routine traffic stop escalated into a significant incident.
Te’Quori Lans, driving a green Honda Civic, approached the West Indian Company main gate slowly and hesitated multiple times before entering the crossing, drawing officers’ attention due to his unusual behavior.
Upon stopping the vehicle due to its excessively tinted windshield, Lans displayed further suspicious behavior by refusing to provide necessary vehicle documents and exhibiting signs of distress, including sweating, shaking, and mumbling unintelligibly, Superior Court records show. His situation escalated when he reached for a fanny pack, shouting about the lack of probable cause for the stop, which led an officer to attempt to use a taser on him unsuccessfully.
VIPD mug shot of Te’Quori Lans on St. Thomas
Lans then accelerated, striking a marked police vehicle and fleeing the scene. He was pursued by police and eventually apprehended on the access road to Red Hook Plaza after nearly hitting several pedestrians and violating numerous traffic laws, including running red lights and swerving into oncoming traffic.
After his capture, Lans was first taken to Schneider Regional Medical Center for medical attention, then to the Richard Callwood Command for processing. A search of his vehicle uncovered an extended magazine with 21 .45 caliber rounds, violating the conditions of his probation, which prohibits him from possessing such ammunition, according to court documents.
Previously in December 2023, Lans pleaded guilty to a firearms charge and received a suspended sentence with supervised probation, stipulating that any violation would lead to incarceration. The discovery of the ammunition and his actions during the traffic stop have led to multiple charges against him, including possession of illegal ammunition, disobeying a lawful order, interfering with an officer, third-degree assault, reckless driving, negligent driving, and leaving the scene of an accident.
In court on Monday, Magistrate Paula Norkaitis found probable cause to bind him over on all charges. Judge Norkaitis set bail for Lans at $30,000. If he posts bail, Lans must comply with several conditions, including bi-weekly probation check-ins by phone, maintaining employment, and adhering to a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. He is also prohibited from using alcohol or controlled substances and possessing any weapons while the case is pending.
His next court appearance is scheduled for August 2.