CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Three suspected St. Thomas car thieves crashed a stolen vehicle through a police checkpoint following a car chase in which shots were fired this afternoon.
The case began at about 3:04 p.m. when VIPD patrol units were dispatched by 911 dispatchers to inspect a vehicle being operated recklessly and occupied by three masked men in the area of Judy Gomez Highway in Altona & Welgunst, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
Police identified that the vehicle in question was in fact reported stolen and it was soon located on Mafolie Hill, according to the VIPD.
The suspects plowed through a police checkpoint with the stolen vehicle and damaged two cars in the process, police said.
Patrol units on the scene radioed “shots fired” in the area of Louisenhoj Castle, according to the VIPD.
Soon after, the 911 Emergency Call Center got a report that a male with a gunshot wound was located in a yard, VIPD spokeswoman Kishma Chichester said.
“Officers detained the suspect, and he was transported to the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital for treatment,” Chichester said. “Moments after another suspect was found and taken to the hospital for treatment.”
The VIPD is currently searching for the remaining suspect in the Hull Bay Area, the police spokeswoman said.
This current situation is fluid. The VIPD is asking the community to call 911 immediately if anyone sees anything suspicious or unusual in the area. Citizens may also call CIB at 340-774-2211 or Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-8477.