Police on St. Croix are investigating an attempted robbery that took place Saturday in Christiansted and was reported to the V.I. Police Department on Monday.
According to the police report, the victim said at about 9:15 p.m. Saturday she and her daughter were on the Boardwalk, walking towards the docking site of the Protestant Cay ferry when she saw three young black males approaching them. As she and her daughter passed by the young men, they asked her to take a picture of them. She declined their request and clutched her bag close to her body as she continued to walk away.
She said two of the individuals followed her, and one of them grabbed her bag and said, “Come on, ma’am.” The woman said she continued to hold onto her bag as one of the two young men punched her in the left side of her face, causing her glasses to scratch her and fall to the ground.
The three young men then ran off in the direction of the Kings Alley Hotel, as she made her way, injured, but still holding onto her bag, to the ferry dock, where the boat captain phoned 911 for assistance.
The suspects were described as being roughly 16 years old. One was dressed in a blue and white shirt with horizontal stripes and another in a white T-shirt and dark colored shorts.
The woman sustained a visible contusion to the left side of her face, accompanied with swelling and scratches on her left ear.
On the initial date and time of the incident, officers responded to the call made by the captain of the ferry but couldn’t locate the claimant, who later said that she didn’t want to go to the police station at the time of the incident. She said she simply wanted to clean up her injuries and return to her hotel.
The incident is under investigation by detectives with the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
