Mugshot of Jamal Lynch. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A man appeared before a V.I. Superior Court judge on Wednesday to face charges after allegedly striking several times the moving vehicle of his ex-girlfriend, leaving the vehicle badly damaged and the victim traumatized.
Jamal Lynch was arrested and charged on November 15 with first-degree assault, third-degree assault and reckless driving. His arrest follows a report placed with the 911 Emergency Call Center on November 10 in reference to the incident.
According to the probable cause fact sheet, when police arrived at the scene of the incident, they made contact with a woman who stated that about 5:00 p.m. on November 10, she was traveling east on the Queen Mary Highway in the vicinity of Kmart West, when her ex-boyfriend Jamal Lynch struck her vehicle from the back with a red truck that he was driving.
She said Lynch collided with her vehicle while it was still in motion, causing her to lose control, according to the probable cause fact sheet. Lynch then struck the rear end of her vehicle again before driving up along the right passenger side of her vehicle and striking it a third time with his red pickup truck. That action pushed the victim’s vehicle off the eastbound lane while she was still inside of it.
After her vehicle had come to a complete stop, Lynch parked his red pickup truck — which had no license plate — in front of the victim's vehicle which blocked her from leaving, according to court documents.
The victim said she then saw Lynch exit his truck in the middle of the Queen Mary Highway’s eastbound lane, causing traffic to backup behind her vehicle and Lynch's.
Lynch then started advancing towards the victim with an angry look on his face, according to court documents. At that point, she said she was fearful for her life because Lynch had assaulted her in the past with visible proof which was documented by police. The victim vowed to file for a restraining order against Lynch on Nov. 14. According to court documents, the victim was nervous and shaking when she spoke about the ordeal.
With the help of concerned residents at the scene who blocked Lynch from walking closer to the woman, she was able to turn around and flee in her vehicle in the opposite direction towards her sister’s residence. She told police that while she did not sustain any visible injuries from the collision, she was experiencing pain in her neck and back from the impact of the red truck against her vehicle.
When police made contact with Lynch, he refused to disclose the location of the red truck. He stated that he did not drive any red truck because it was not registered, and that the truck was at his friend’s house. He further stated that his friend did not want random people knowing where he lived and that was the reason why he did not want to disclose where the truck was located.
Police observed the vehicle the victim was driving, a black Mazda, and confirmed it to be the same vehicle that was seen in a short video taken by a concerned resident who witnessed the collision.
The vehicle sustained extensive damage to its rear trunk hatch door, rendering it useless. The rear bumper was also extensively damaged, and there also was damage to the right passenger side door. Additionally, an exchange of red paint was embedded in the body paint of the victim’s vehicle.
On November 15 contact was made with Lynch and he was placed under arrest.
In court on Wednesday, a judge ruled that Lynch would be released after posting $200 cash and signing an unsecured bond for the remainder of his $15,000 bail. Once posted, he would be released to a third-party custodian.
Lynch is barred from leaving St. Croix without the court’s written permission and must surrender his passport. He is to report to the Office of Probation every Tuesday and must remain employed. Lynch will be placed on 24-hr house arrest without an electronic monitor and will only be allowed to leave the house for work, scheduled court appearances and for hospital emergencies. He must maintain a minimum distance of at least 1,000 ft away from the victim and have no contact, directly or indirectly, with the victim or any witnesses in the matter.
