Man Robbed At Gunpoint In Apartment; Suspect Escapes With $2,400 Worth Of Items

ST. CROIX — A man was robbed in his apartment located in Estate Diamond Ruby by a black male in the wee hours of Saturday morning while sleeping, The Consortium has learned. The victim, who lives with a roommate, said the roommate’s belongings were also stolen by the unidentified male. Both men were robbed of multiple items amounting to thousands of dollars.

The Consortium made contact with Glen Dratte, the V.I.P.D.’s public information officer, who confirmed that the incident occurred and relayed more details.

According to Mr. Dratte, the 911 emergency call center received notification of the incident at about 3:42 a.m. Saturday. Upon arrival to the scene, officers made contact with the male victim, who said that while sleeping in the western bedroom of the apartment, he felt the presence of someone in the bedroom. The victim said he then opened his eyes and saw a black male with a handgun searching the bedroom.

The victim said he then woke up and was immediately chastised by the suspect, who commanded the victim to “remain silent” and “don’t move,” and he would not be harmed.

The suspect made away with a white iPhone 5S, valued at $400; a laptop worth $250 and an iPod valued at $800 — all belonging to the victim, according to Mr. Dratte, citing information provided by police.

But the suspect did not leave the premises after stealing the victim’s belongings; the perpetrator then went into the roommate’s bedroom and stole items from there as well — a laptop valued at $250; a cracked iPhone 5S worth $400;  and a PlayStation 3 with a controller valued at $300 — leaving the premises with $2,400 worth of items, according to Mr. Dratte.

The victim said that he was again threatened by the suspect, who admonished the victim not to call police. But as soon as the suspect left the area, the victim hustled to his roommate’s place of employment, the Playa’s Club — a strip club located across from Sunny Isle behind the Gas For Less Service Station — and called 911 while there.

Police said an immediate search of the area for the suspect yielded no results, and there appeared to be no forced entry into the apartment.

An all points bulletin was initiated in an effort to capture the suspect.

Police say the incident is under investigation, and are asking anyone with information that may lead to the perpetrator’s arrest to call 340 712-6024, 911 or anonymous tip line Crime Stoppers VI at 1 800 222 tips.