Police on St. Thomas are investigating two separate cases of armed robbery that were committed by unlicensed, or "gypsy," cab drivers who robbed visitors to the island. Police located one suspect and are searching for another.
The first robbery occurred Saturday. Officers were notified at 11:38 a.m. and were told by a husband and wife who were visiting from Manchester, England, that they had been robbed of their possessions. The victims told police they caught a taxi at Emancipation Gardens and, instead of the driver taking them to their destination, they were taken down an unknown road and the driver stopped the vehicle and pointed a gun at them. The driver grabbed the female victim’s handbag threatened the couple and told them to get out of the vehicle.
The victims immediately contacted police and gave them a description of the vehicle and driver.
Police checked several areas where gypsy taxies are known to be and spoke to several citizens in an attempt to identify the suspect. Officers located a vehicle fitting the description in the upper Frydenhoj area.
Police said that when officers spoke to the driver they noticed a lady’s handbag on the floor of the vehicle, halfway under the seat, which fit the description given by the female victim. The bag contained passports, credit cards, cell phones and other items that the victims identified as belonging to them.
The driver, who was later identified as 40-year-old Durray Primus of St. Thomas, was arrested just before 4 p.m. the same day and charged with armed robbery and possession of stolen property. His bail was set at $10,000 and he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending his advice of rights hearing.
A similar robbery occurred Friday.
Police were notified about 1:45 p.m. that a husband and wife visiting from California were robbed of $100 dollars. The victims told police they were on Veterans Drive near the vendors plaza when they were approached by a man who asked them if they needed a taxi back to the cruise ship dock. Once the visitors were in the vehicle the driver told them he needed to go another way because of the traffic and drove them in a dead end road located at the rear of the Schneider Regional Hospital and Medical Center.
The driver then displayed a black handgun and demanded money, which the couple gave him. Then they were ordered to exit the vehicle.
The driver is described as a slim black man in his late 30s or 40s. He is about 5 feet, 3 inches to 5 feet, 8 inches, and has a beard. Police continue to search for this suspect.
Anyone with information about this or other crimes can contact detectives from the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 1-340-712-6077 or 1-340-712-6037, the 911 emergency center or the anonymous tip service, Crimes Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-8477. Text messages can be sent by text “USVI” and the message to 274637 (CRIMES.)
