Mugshot of 18-year-old Micaiah Cozier. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. THOMAS — Ten days after the Virgin Islands Police Department released a video clip showing the masked men who robbed the Havensight Mall Jewelry Store in St. Thomas, four have been arrested and are facing more than twenty counts for the criminal offenses.
Police Commissioner Ray Martinez announced the arrests in a news conference on Friday. “On Thursday, December 16th, 2021, detectives of the Criminal Investigations and Juvenile Bureaus with the assistance of investigators of the Department of Justice, Criminal Investigations Division, arrested 18-year-old Micaiah Cozier and three minor males were taken into protective custody for their involvement in the Glitter’s robbery and shooting,” Mr. Martinez said.
Cozier and the minors are charged with attempted murder, two counts of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, second-degree robbery, kidnapping, two counts of third-degree assault, two counts of mayhem, unlawful entry, carrying a firearm, two counts of carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, first-degree reckless endangerment, grand larceny, unauthorized use of a vehicle, two counts of possession of a firearm within 1000 feet of a public housing community, unlawful possession of ammunition, and conspiracy.
The commissioner said the men were arrested on Thursday evening at approximately 8:00 pm. He did not divulge details relative to how and where the arrest action was conducted.
V.I. Attorney General Denise George said that Cozier appeared before a judge in the V.I. Superior Court for his advisement hearing earlier today. “Probable cause was found for 21 charges,” she said while reminding the public that due to the territory’s laws, her office cannot release any information with respect to the juveniles.
Bail for Cozier was set at $500,000. “Unable to post bail he was remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending his advice of rights hearing while the minors were taken into protective custody by a Juvenile Bureau pending their advise of rights hearing before the family court,” Mr. Martinez said.
The commissioner used the opportunity to thank the involvement of the community in assisting to solve this crime. “The community had an outpouring of information that led to those arrests, they provided the investigators with much-needed leads,” he said.
On Saturday, December 4, the Glitter's jewelry store was robbed by masked men. During the exchange the male security guard and the female patron sustained injuries. The men stormed the store after the 11:00 a.m. hour, shooting at the security guard and severely injuring him. The female patron then started screaming and attempted to run outside, but the suspects grabbed and pushed her back inside and shot her point blank in the chest, according to a person who has viewed surveillance footage of the crime.
Later that day, acting on intelligence information and community tips officers detained two persons. However, those individuals, while facing other charges linked to the illegal possession of firearm, appear to not be associated with the robbery.
“Our investigations have since ruled out their participation in the Glitter’s robbery,” said Mr. Martinez, who was quick to top out that if during the investigations they are recognized as being associated with the robbery, they would be detained and be arrested.
