FREDERIKSTED — Restaurant workers recognized the man who robbed them in broad daylight as the same person who robbed them nearly three weeks ago — and police were fast to catch up with him on foot.
Akemoi J. Simmonds, 21, of Estate Rattan, was arrested at 2:41 p.m. Wednesday and charged with third-degree robbery, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The 911 Emergency Call Center dispatched Wilbur Francis Command units to a possible robbery at Spicy Grill Restaurant in Estate Golden Grove at 2:29 p.m., according to the VIPD.
“Information was relayed via 911 dispatch that a heavy-set black male entered the business, and he was recognized as the same suspect from a previous robbery at the location on November 18, 2022,” VIPD Communications Director Glen Dratte said. “Officers were advised of the suspect’s path of flight, where he was spotted and surrendered to police and was taken into custody without incident.”
Bail for Simmonds was set at $25,000.00. Unable to post bail, he was remanded to custody of the Bureau of Corrections at the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility pending an advice-of-rights hearing scheduled in Superior Court at Kingshill for tomorrow.
Simmonds is a UVI student and is currently on conditional release from two previous robberies in 2020, in which his accomplice fired shots at a pursuing police officer, according to Dratte.
These incidents are currently under active investigation. If you have any information please call 911 the CIB tip line at 340-778-4850 or 340-712-6072, or Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-8477.
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