ST. THOMAS – A man who reportedly beat several patrons of a local nightclub with a broken pool stick last Friday is now facing multiple felony charges.
According to court documents, police were summoned to the Jala Jala nightclub on August 23 just after 9 p.m. to investigate a disturbance in progress. On arrival, officers spoke to a woman who said she had been injured in an attack that had just occurred.
The man, later identified as Kavon Daniel, had come into the establishment and broken a pool stick over his leg. He then used the broken stick to hit several people. During the attack, the woman said she was hit on the arm and the right side of her head, with the force of the blows causing her to fall to the ground. Officers took note of the red swelling on her arm.
Jala Jala’s bartender corroborated the woman’s story. She told police that Daniel came in suddenly, picked up a pool stick, and hit her on the buttocks with it. He then broke the stick and began assaulting patrons for no apparent reason. The bartender said she had never seen him before that night, and told police that she suspected Daniel was intoxicated.
Police found the previously aggressive man lying on the floor on the side of the pool table, apparently asleep. He appeared to have vomited over himself and the floor, and officers took note of pieces of the broken pool stick lying nearby. A black wallet was also visible near the prone man, containing Daniel’s identification. After glancing at one of the cards it contained, an officer tried to rouse Daniel by shouting his name several times, to no avail. He eventually woke up after being sat upright and administered a sternum rub by the responding officer.
As soon as he regained consciousness, police say Daniel seized the officer’s hand, twisting and pulling it towards him, and opening his mouth in an attempt to bite it. The officer was able to get her hand away, but ripped her latex glove in the process. She then lifted him from the floor by his shirt in an attempt to free his hands from where he had hidden them under his torso, and Daniel reportedly turned over and kicked the officer in her chest, dislodging the body camera from where it had been secured to her vest.
The officer said she resorted to deploying her taser as Daniel charged, allowing her to regain control of the situation and finally get him in handcuffs. Once she retrieved her body-worn camera, the officer realized that the mounting attachment had been broken.
Daniel was first taken to the Schneider Regional Medical Center for treatment and then to the Richard Callwood Command police station for booking. He was charged with third-degree assault, aggravated assault and battery, destruction of property, disturbance of the peace, and interfering with an officer discharging his duties.
In court on Monday, Magistrate Paula Norkaitis set bail at $25,000, with a 10 percent cash provision. Daniel is banned from Jala Jala and is prohibited from using alcohol or controlled substances while the case is pending. He must also submit to an evaluation for alcohol abuse, conducted by the Division of Mental Health, and is banned from possessing firearms, ammunition, or other dangerous weapons.
His next court appearance is scheduled for September 13.
