April 18, 2004 – A St. Croix police officer was shot and wounded Saturday night during an attempted armed robbery at the Wendy’s restaurant in Sunny Isle Shopping Center.
Sgt. Thomas Hannah, police spokesman, said Officer Cuthbert Chapman was in stable condition at Juan F. Luis Hospital with serious injuries received when he foiled the robbery attempt.
Hannah said a little before 11 p.m. one man entered through the front door and jumped over the counter and Chapman intervened and subdued the man. Then, according to Hannah, two other armed assailants broke through the back entrance of the restaurant and fired several shots, hitting Chapman multiple times.
Hannah said about Chapman, "He has provided an excellent description. He knows his job well."
The three men were reported to have been wearing dark clothing, hoods and masks.
A hospital staff person said Chapman was under guard at the hospital. He had been taken there with a restaurant employee. Nothing could be confirmed on the condition of the employee.
No money was reported taken from the restaurant.
Earlier Saturday, a carjacking took place in La Reine, 10 minutes away from Sunny Isle. A 32-year-old woman reported that an individual pointed a gun at her and ordered her out of her tan Chevy Cavalier.
Hannah said a Chevy Cavalier was found later that night abandoned in the Clifton Hill area. Items found in the car led police to believe it was the getaway vehicle used at the attempted robbery.
The Sunny Isle, La Reine and Clifton Hill communities are all within a two-mile radius.
Sunday morning, police were seen conducting random road inspections along Melvin Evans Highway between Sunny Isle and Clifton Hill. A Clifton Hill resident who asked to remain anonymous said on Sunday morning that "the roads were blocked off" Saturday night.
On Sunday night a de Chabert housing community resident said with apparent approval that police patrols had been around the area "like ants."
A spokesperson for Sullivan Advertising, which handles public relations for Wendy’s, would not comment because the incident is under investigation. Spokespersons for the Sunny Isle Shopping Center security service, Intel Security, and the St. Croix hospital could not be reached for comment.
Sunny Isle manager Ralph de Chabert said Sunday afternoon that "this island is too small for what's going on here." If police had the right help, "we would be able to clean this up," he said. "It's much too small for this."
De Chabert supports outside intervention to augment the local force. "If you listen, the small man on the street can tell you exactly where the guns are sold," he said.
In a robbery two weeks ago in Sunny Isle Shopping Center, two armed men wearing ski masks startled morning shoppers minutes after Mini Shop jewelers opened for business. It was the second robbery of the store in eight months. In the first, last July, the owners said robbers got away with more than $50,000.
A sign on the door of the Sunny Isle restaurant on Sunday read: "Wendy’s will be closed today! Will reopen Monday at 7 a.m."
Police are asking for the community’s help in investigating these incidents. Anyone with information is asked to call 778-2211 or 911.
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