A St. Thomas man faces charges of assault and battery after another man was shoved and slapped outside a convenience store on Saturday, causing him to fall, hit his head and pass out, the V.I. Police Department reported Tuesday.
Police were dispatched to the Happy View Market near Lindbergh Bay at 8 a.m. Saturday regarding the assault, but the victim had been taken to the Schneider Regional Medical Center, according to the report. At the hospital, the victim said that he was outside the market when he was struck in the face by an unknown man, causing him to fall down and cut his head.
The victim said he did not know why the suspect struck him, nor is he familiar with him, but he knows him to frequent the area, police said. Later that evening, detectives obtained surveillance footage of the incident and were able to identify both the suspect and the victim.
In the footage, the suspect is seen shoving the victim with his shoulder, the report stated. The victim was visibly intimidated and attempted to get out of the way when the suspect slapped him, police said. The victim fell backwards, hit his head on the concrete floor and passed out outside of the store, they said.
“He is observed motionless on the ground for a period of five minutes before waking up,” the report stated.
Kishawn Berkeley, aka “Shawn,” age 42, was placed under arrest at 10 a.m. on Monday, police said. He faces charges of third-degree assault and simple assault and battery. Bail was set at $25,000. He was read his rights, tested for COVID-19, and remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending his advice of rights hearing, police said.
