Mugshot of Jahmar Frederick. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A convicted felon is facing fresh firearm charges in District Court following an incident in May in which he failed to yield to a traffic stop.
On May 11, a VIPD detective spotted a brown four-door Ford F150 truck passing near the Frontline Bar and Restaurant with no visible license plate affixed. After radioing in for a unit to conduct a traffic stop, the detective began following the F150.
Despite the flashing police lights and the sound of the airhorn behind him, the driver of the truck, subsequently identified as Jahmar Frederick, did not stop. Instead, he made a left turn onto General Jean Romney Drive and then began to accelerate, overtaking several vehicles while passing the National Guard Army Base.
According to court documents, the detective radioed in to advise his colleagues of what was going on, and made arrangements for a Criminal Investigation Bureau unit up ahead to cut the vehicle off. Despite the attempts of the second police unit, Frederick swerved around it, almost colliding with another vehicle in the left lane. The brown Ford truck then sped off into the distance, overtaking several vehicles while approaching the Alfredo Andrews School. Frederick even drove onto the shoulder of the road, passing three vehicles and crossing over near the entrance to Northside Road to enter the Estate La Reine neighborhood. From there, he reportedly made a left turn onto the Queen Mary Highway, heading east, and then turned into Estate Strawberry from the Bonne Esperance entrance.
Frederick sped through the Estate Strawberry neighborhood, losing control of his vehicle and sliding off the roadway near Plot 268. He reportedly decided to abandon the truck there, pulling a ski-mask over his face and exiting the vehicle while clutching a white plastic bag and manila folder in his right hand. He took off on foot, heading south, with an officer giving chase.
The detective followed and found Frederick with his pants around his ankles, attempting to get up before falling again on the ground. Detective and officer then worked together to handcuff Frederick, who they recognized from an August 2023 arrest once they had removed the ski mask from his head and face. Frederick also has several previous convictions: for forgery and failure to report a firearm in 2018, as well as obtaining money by false pretenses in 2023.
Once officers placed their hands on the fanny pack Frederick was wearing, they felt what they identified as a firearm. As they began to pull the bag away from the detained man, Frederick bit down and tried to hold onto the fanny pack with his teeth. Ultimately, police had to grab Frederick’s jaw to get him to release the bag. Forensic technicians identified the gun as a 40-caliber Glock Model 22 Gen4, with a 30-round magazine attached. The magazine was loaded with 18 live rounds, and there was one round chambered in the firearm.
Police discovered that the brown Ford F150, which was owned by someone other than Frederick, was neither insured nor registered.
After a trip to the Juan F. Luis hospital, Frederick was taken to the police station, arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On Friday, he appeared before U.S. Magistrate Emile Henderson III, who ordered that the $50,000 bail could be satisfied with an unsecured bond. However, once released from detention Frederick will be subject to house arrest, able to leave his residence only for medical necessities, court appearances, or other activities specifically approved by the court. He must also submit to location monitoring while awaiting trial.
