Crime

Deli in Estate Dorothea Robbed, Bystander Pistol-Whipped; Three Armed Bandits Wanted by Police

ST. THOMAS – Three masked men are being hunted by Virgin Islands police after an armed robbery and pistol-whipping at the Nidal Deli and Grocery in Estate Dorothea in St. Thomas’ North Side on Wednesday night. At about 9:27 p.m., the 911 Emergency Call Center dispatched officers to a report of a robbery. After officers arrived, they learned a victim was outside of the store when three men wearing masks approached him. One of the men held him at gunpoint and demanded money, while the other two went into the store, according to police spokesman Toby Derima. The victim attempted to escape, and in a struggle with gunman the, was struck about the head with the assailant’s handgun, police said. The suspect took the victim’s cash. The two masked men inside the deli took cash out of the store’s register. All three suspects fled in a silver 4-door sedan traveling westward.  An ambulance transported the victim to Schneider Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for head injuries. Thi...