ST. JOHN — A man who claimed he was acting in self-defense during a confrontation on St. John has been arrested on multiple assault and elder abuse charges after surveillance footage reportedly showed him repeatedly kicking another man in the head, including while the victim lay on the ground. The victim suffered a traumatic brain injury and brain hemorrhaging that required off-island medical care.
Kahleem Powell was arrested Thursday, October 8, in connection with the September 12 incident near Hill Street. Police responding to reports of a fight encountered. Powell, who told officers that an unknown man had approached his vehicle and struck the driver's side window with a stick. He said an argument followed, which became physical when the man struck him with the stick, prompting him to defend himself.
Investigators subsequently reviewed surveillance footage that provided a more detailed account of the confrontation. The video showed the other man chasing someone southward on Hill Street before approaching an SUV and appearing to speak with its driver for several minutes. Powell's vehicle then pulled up and parked in front of the SUV.
The man approached Powell's vehicle and appeared to speak with him. Mr. Powell opened and closed the driver's side door, after which the man tapped the window with his stick. Mr. Powell exited the vehicle, and the man appeared to swing the stick at him.
According to police, the footage then showed Powell throwing the man to the ground, kicking him in the shoulder and punching him several times in the face before kicking him in the head. Powell subsequently returned to his vehicle before walking back toward the injured man, who remained on the ground.
This time, police say, Powell was holding a cellphone and appeared to be recording the victim while kicking him in the head again.
Officers learned the extent of the victim's injuries after speaking with an emergency medical technician, who reported that the man had suffered a traumatic brain injury. Medical staff at Schneider Regional Hospital subsequently confirmed that the victim had experienced brain hemorrhaging and would require off-island treatment.
On Thursday afternoon, officers located Powell at an establishment in Cruz Bay and placed him under arrest. He was charged with elder abuse, aggravated elder abuse, third-degree assault, aggravated assault and battery, and resisting arrest.
Unable to post the initial $26,500 bail, Powell was remanded into custody pending his first court appearance, scheduled for Saturday morning, October 10, before Magistrate Judge Simone VanHolten-Turnbull.
