The latest mugshot of Arnold Malone. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — The prosecution of a man who reportedly hit three cars in his haste to escape a traffic stop has gone at least temporarily awry, after prosecutors failed to complete a key procedural step.
Monday’s advice of rights hearing before Magistrate Simone Van Holten-Turnbull resulted in an order to release Arnold Malone from custody. “The court dismissed the matter without prejudice because the People didn’t add the charges.”
Malone was facing charges of first and third-degree assault, as well as three counts each of reckless endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident. This follows a traffic stop on Friday when police officers say they noticed a temporary Florida tag and heavily tinted windshield on his white Mercedes Benz as he was driving down Veterans Drive.
According to court documents, after stopping the car and asking him to get out of the vehicle, Malone reportedly instead sped off, prompting a short chase which culminated near Mitchell Motel. Surrounded by marked police vehicles, Malone reportedly reversed the Mercedes into one police unit, striking the door behind which an officer was standing before stopping in the roadway once he had cleared a pathway through.
One of the officers, reportedly fearing that police were about to be fired upon by the man who allegedly made threats of that nature during an incident on January 28, fired more than one shot in Malone’s direction. It is unclear from the police report whether any of the shots hit their target, but Malone made his escape. VIPD had previously reported that Malone fired at officers. Apart from the police truck, he reportedly hit two civilian vehicles as he evaded the police.
On Sunday afternoon, Malone, accompanied by his attorney, turned himself in. He was arrested and charged, and appeared in court on Monday, where the matter was dismissed and he was free to leave.
Because the case was dismissed without prejudice, prosecutors are free to refile the matter. For the safety of all involved, it is hoped that any subsequent attempts at arrest will be concluded without incident.
On Monday afternoon, a statement from VIPD indicated that the matter was still under investigation.
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