Mugshot of Quasheem Christian. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — Quasheem Christian was ordered to 24-hour house arrest and GPS monitoring after a Superior Court magistrate found probable cause on charges connected to a Glock 19 that police say fell from his waistband while he fled officers Thursday afternoon. The court, however, declined to uphold charges connected to a loaded .223 rifle found in a backpack near his vehicle.
Christian was one of two men who police say ran when officers approached during a “Rapid Response” operation.
According to the V.I. Police Department’s arrest report, the two men had been sitting near a maroon Acura RDX when they saw officers and fled into a gas station.
Police say the men ran through the kitchen before leaving through the other side of the building and entering an open parking lot.
Christian then ran toward a fence separating the property from land belonging to the V.I. Department of Agriculture, according to investigators.
As he ran, officers said they saw Christian grabbing at his waist, drawing their attention to what appeared to be a handgun tucked into his waistband.
Police say Christian attempted to jump over the fence, but his pants became caught in the barbed wire.
The Glock 19 then fell from his waistband onto the grass, according to the arrest report.
Officers pursuing Christian threatened to deploy a Taser, at which point he surrendered. He was placed in handcuffs and searched.
Investigators subsequently determined through a vehicle registration check that the maroon Acura RDX near which Christian had been sitting belonged to him.
Police said the driver’s side door was fully open and a black backpack was lying on the ground close to that door.
Inside the backpack, officers reported finding a “high-powered rifle” equipped with a drum magazine containing live ammunition.
Investigators also recovered a loaded handgun magazine from the floor of the gas station’s kitchen.
The second man who had fled from police was also apprehended. He was later released after Christian took ownership of the handgun and the magazine recovered from the gas station kitchen, according to police.
VIPD forensic technicians subsequently examined the recovered weapons.
Police say the Glock 19 had been modified with a conversion chip that enabled automatic fire. The handgun was equipped with a fully loaded 32-round extended magazine.
The .223 rifle recovered from the backpack was loaded with a 50-round drum magazine and had no identifiable serial numbers, according to investigators.
Police said Christian does not have a license to possess a firearm in the Virgin Islands.
He was arrested and charged with two counts of carrying a firearm and possession of ammunition.
Christian appeared Friday before Superior Court Magistrate Yolan Brow Ross for his advice of rights hearing.
After hearing testimony from the arresting officer, the court declined to find probable cause on the charges connected to the rifle.
The remaining charges tied to the handgun and ammunition were upheld.
Christian was permitted to post $2,500 in cash toward the $50,000 bail requirement, with the remaining balance signed as an unsecured bond.
Once released from detention, Christian must remain under 24-hour house arrest and submit to GPS monitoring. He must also comply with the other standard conditions of release imposed by the court.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 2.
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