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HomeNewsArchivesCostumed 'Robber' Carried Real Handgun

Costumed 'Robber' Carried Real Handgun

Elijah SmithOn a weekend during which many residents of St. Croix were enjoying early Halloween activities, observant police officers detained four men Friday wearing self-described “bank robber” costumes and discovered the one of their replica guns was actually a real handgun.

According to a report released Monday, officers of the Anselmo Marshall Command Zone “C” in Christiansted attempted to stop a white Ford Taurus in the vicinity of Estate Richmond at about 8:30 p.m. to allow pedestrians to cross the road. The driver continued to proceed along the road and did not stop.

Officers eventually stopped the vehicle and approached the driver. The officer noticed a black handgun on the floor of the vehicle, which the officers later said was an authentic looking replica. The passengers were ordered out of the vehicle and a second firearm, a replica AK47 rifle, was found in the vehicle.

Police patted down the passengers for safety and discovered a genuine Smith and Wesson .38 Special tucked in the waist of one passenger, later identified as 21-year-old Elijah Smith of Estate La Grande Princess.

Smith also had several live rounds in his possession.

The replicas and genuine weapons were confiscated and Smith was arrested and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm. He was held on $25,000 bail and remanded to the custody of the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility pending further court action.

St. Croix Police Chief James Parris said the officers performed their duty admirably and averted a potentially deadly situation.

“These individuals sought to take advantage of the Halloween holiday and attempted to carry replica and genuine weapons among an unsuspecting public," Parris said. "If these officers had not been so diligent and professional in their protection of the public, someone could have been seriously hurt or even killed.”

Parris also warned the public about the dangers of possessing replica weapons.

“The replicas we confiscated cannot be distinguished from a real weapon at first glance. In many jurisdictions around the states young men have been injured or fatally wounded and it was later discovered that the weapon they had was not real," the chief said. "I don’t want that to happen here in the Virgin Islands.”

He urged anyone who has a replica weapon to turn it into the police station before someone gets hurt.

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