Gun found during raid – Four charged with robbery

Police charged four men with robbery and confiscated an illegal gun amid simultaneous raids conducted early yesterday morning (August 3) at premises on Tortola and Virgin Gorda.

The operation stemmed from an incident on July 17 when a man was stripped of a sum of cash while he was in the area of First Caribbean Bank, Road Town.

Following that incident, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) released photos of two masked males fleeing the area on a motor scooter.

Those charged jointly with robbery are Duff’s Bottom residents 20-year-old Richard Freeman and 19-year-old Jequan Reid, as well as Triston Liburd and Stephen Harrigan from the Valley in Virgin Gorda.

“Other charges may be pending,” added the RVIPF.

Four robberies since appeal

The RVIPF noted that four robberies have been committed since July when Commissioner of Police Michael Matthews engaged the community in a territory-wide crackdown to reduce the number of illegal firearms available.

He also made a special appeal for members of the public to provide information about people importing or using illegal guns.

Since that appeal, two masked men attempted to rob Bob’s Gas Station after 10pm last Saturday.

The Struggling Man’s Place in Sea Cows Bay was also robbed about 8pm Wednesday. “In the robbery at the Struggling Man’s restaurant, the assailant was described as approximately six feet tall and light skinned,” the RVIPF said, adding that cash was taken, but no one was injured.

The RVIPF said the other two robberies involved a lone gunman.

Commissioner Matthews, in a media release today, issued another appeal for ‘any’ information. “We don’t need your name. Just tell us who has a firearm or where it can be found. We will do the rest,” he said.