St. Thomas Man Charged With Illegal Firearm Possession After Late-Night Incident at Mandela Circle

ST. THOMAS — A St. Thomas man's late night mishaps have landed him behind bars, charged for the second time in six years for possession of an unlicensed firearm. According to court documents, police were dispatched to Mandela Circle just before 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, following reports that the driver of a vehicle may be unresponsive and in need of assistance. Officers arrived to find a reportedly incoherent Rony Tati Liz inside a grey Toyota RAV-4. Officers say that he initially ignored several requests to turn off the engine and exit the vehicle, but eventually did so, sitting on a retaining wall next to a nearby fast food restaurant. In response to questioning, Liz reportedly became “increasingly erratic and non-compliant,” according to police reports. Officers decided to call a tow truck for the SUV, amid Liz's escalating verbal aggression. At some point while waiting for the truck to arrive, after officers had located the now-detained man's drivers license, a flashlight shone into...