Seized guns
Police seized three guns, including two assault rifles, on Saturday night in Port Purcell as part of a multi-day special operation. (Photo: RVIPF)

As police cracked down on crime over the past eight days, they took gunfire during a boat chase near Jost Van Dyke, pursued suspects in a high-speed car chase that ended with a wreck in Hawks Nest, and carried out several search operations across the territory.

And in the end, they reported substantial progress.

All told, they arrested at least three suspects, seized four guns and a go-fast boat, and gathered valuable intelligence that will assist their ongoing efforts to dismantle a criminal gang, according to the Police Information Office.

On other details of the hectic week, however, police remained tight-lipped: They provided only limited details of their operations and withheld the names of two arrested suspects and the charges against them.

Shots fired

The week of crime began on Aug. 21, when police responded to a report of shots fired at a home in the Free Bottom area shortly after 2 p.m.

No suspects were present when they arrived, but spent shell casings were recovered and the scene was secured so that detectives could investigate, according to the Police Information Office.

“In response to this serious matter, the police have engaged the Crisis Intervention Team to offer much-needed support to the residents of the home involved and to others in the community,” said acting Police Commissioner Jacqueline Vanterpool.

“Additionally, we have increased our security measures by maintaining an armed patrol presence in the area to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents.”

Police did not provide further details about the incident.

On Friday, Aug. 23, the crackdown continued with an “intelligence-led stop-and-check operation” carried out as part of efforts to address recent incidents of “public disorder” including the discharge of firearms, according to police.

During the operation, they arrested Romario Morgan, 28, of Chalwell Estate, and charged him with possession of a controlled drug.

He was granted bail of $5,000 and scheduled to appear at Magistrates’ Court, police said Monday.

The operation also resulted in the seizure of a “significant quantity” of controlled drugs, drug-dealing paraphernalia and an offensive weapon, police said.

Saturday bust

On Saturday night, police continued their special operation by conducting more “intelligence-led stop-and-checks,” as well as “targeted patrols and searches in designated hotspots,” according to the PIO.

During a search in Purcell Estate, officers encountered two “suspicious males” who they knew to be on bail with nightly curfew conditions, police said.

The suspects attempted to flee on foot but were pursued and arrested.

Three firearms found

A subsequent search of their possessions and the area where they were initially seen resulted in the recovery of three firearms, including two high-powered assault rifles, and a “large cache of assorted ammunition,” police said Sunday.

Investigations are ongoing, with police working to determine if the weapons are linked to other crimes.

‘A criminal gang’

Ms. Vanterpool said the bust was a “significant achievement” in ongoing efforts to “dismantle a criminal gang” believed to be responsible for several firearm-related crimes on Tortola in recent weeks.

“The [police force] is committed to investigating and apprehending criminal offenders who continue to flout the law and create mayhem in the community,” Ms. Vanterpool said.

Police did not name the suspects on Sunday or say if they were charged, but on Monday in a separate press release they said that two males arrested Saturday after attempting to evade police in the Purcell Estate area had been “interviewed and processed,” then placed on “conditional bail” and ordered to return to the Road Town Police Station on Sept. 25.

Police Information Officer Akia Thomas-Nero did not immediately respond to a query about whether the two pairs of men in Purcell Estate were the same and why police had not identified them or listed the charges against them.

Boat chase

On Sunday night, police said, they took part in a coordinated operation with United States Customs and Border Protection and intercepted a go-fast vessel near Jost Van Dyke.

The boat’s occupants fired shots at officers before abandoning their vessel on the western end of the island and escaping on foot, according to the PIO.

Despite an extensive search in the area, the suspects remained at large as of Monday, police said that day.

The go-fast vessel, however, was taken into police custody, and investigations are ongoing.

“The reckless actions of these criminals endanger not just our officers but the entire community,” Ms. Vanterpool said. “We cannot allow our waters to become a haven for illegal activity. It is imperative that we unite to bring those responsible to justice and ensure the safety of our islands.”

Car chase

On Sunday night on Tortola, police attempted to intercept two vehicles suspected of “lookout activities” in the Hawks Nest area, they said.

“Both vehicles fled the scene, leading police on a high-speed chase,” according to the PIO. “During the pursuit, one of the vehicles went over an embankment. By the time officers arrived, the occupants of both vehicles had already escaped.”

On Monday at the “break of dawn,” police returned to the scene and recovered an AK-47 assault rifle, they said.

They also found a male with serious injuries and transported him to the Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital for treatment.

Police did not say whether the male had been injured in the wreck or by other means, but they promised to provide updates as their investigation continues.

Tips hotline

Police are urging the public to provide any information about criminal activity in the territory.

To that end, the anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline can be reached by calling 800-8477 (TIPS) locally or at 284-800-8477 from overseas. The police Intelligence Unit can also be reached directly at 368-9339.

“Regardless of how seemingly insignificant, every piece of information could advance the ongoing investigation,” police stated. “All information will be kept confidential.”