Mugshot of Gerard Auguiste. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. THOMAS — A man appeared in court on Monday to face charges after being caught by police with a firearm in the vicinity of the Chicken 'n Bowling facility in Havensight, where multiple shots were fired.
According to the V.I. Police Department, Gerard Auguiste was arrested and charged on December 18 with possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and possession of ammunition.
According to the probable cause fact sheet, on December 18 an officer was patrolling in the vicinity of Chicken 'n Bowling when he heard several shots fired. He immediately stopped the patrol unit to observe the area and witnessed a male individual with reddish locks wearing all black, running with what appeared to be a black firearm in his hand.
When the officer turned on his sirens, the man, who was later identified as Gerard Auguiste, tucked the firearm in his waistband. Auguiste ran behind a white Ford truck and the officer, who had exited his police unit, ran to the back of the police vehicle. Auguiste then came from the right side of the white truck with the gun in his hand while running alongside parked vehicles.
Police commanded Auguiste to drop the weapon and he did. The officer then told Auguiste to put his hands up and walk towards him, which he did. Auguiste was placed in handcuffs and after a foot inspection of the area, police found several spent casings on the ground.
Police Investigations revealed that Auguiste had a black Glock 43 9mm with a 10 ammunition magazine containing live bullets. There was no ammunition in the chamber and the serial number was obliterated.
When asked if he had a license to carry a firearm in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Auguiste replied no.
In court on Monday, a judge ruled that Auguiste would be released upon the posting of $750 cash of the $15,000 bail amount, with the remainder to be posted as an unsecured bond. Once posted, he will be released to third-party custodian.
Auguiste has been barred from leaving the St. Thomas- St. John District without the court’s written permission. He must also surrender his passport and report to the Office of Probation once a week.
