Man charged after fleeing police, ditching loaded gun near Charlotte Amalie schools

A loaded handgun was discovered beneath a tree at a Charlotte Amalie church after a chaotic Friday night pursuit that left a driverless vehicle crashing into a parked car, police records show.

Winston Exius, 20, of Vester Gade, appeared before Magistrate Judge Julie Smith Todman on Monday facing eight charges stemming from the October 16 incident. The charges include reckless endangerment, possession of an unlicensed firearm with an extended magazine, and possessing a weapon within 1,000 feet of two separate schools.

The incident began around 9:29 p.m. when a VIPD officer spotted a heavily tinted Acura RDX with tag TIM-764 at Four Winds Plaza near the Wendy's on Rhymer Highway. The vehicle had evaded a traffic stop six days earlier. When officers moved to stop it, Exius made a sharp U-turn toward Lucky Street, where crowds had gathered on the Friday night, then turned onto Ronald A. "Silmo" Blyden Drive.

As the Acura accelerated down the road, it began shedding parts and experienced transmission failure. While still moving, all four occupants bailed out. Two headed toward Joseph Gomez Elementary School. Exius and another person ran into the Wesley Methodist Church parking lot. The unoccupied SUV continued rolling backward until it struck a parked vehicle.

An officer in an unmarked unit witnessed the escape and saw two men moving through the church lot: one carrying a bag, the other holding an unidentified item near a brush pile. Both emerged empty-handed moments later. Exius and his companion were detained; the other two suspects fled into the neighborhood.

Searches of the church grounds that night found nothing in the darkness. When officers resumed the search at 6:00 a.m., they discovered a black Glock 19 handgun with serial number BWAH746 beneath a tree at the brush line. The weapon was fitted with an extended magazine and had a round ready to fire.

Church surveillance video provided crucial evidence. Footage showed a person wearing a light-colored shirt and black pants, matching Exius's clothing, approaching the tree base and concealing an object in the brush before departing.

Inside the abandoned Acura, police found a gray-and-black bag on the driver's floorboard containing a loaded 30-round extended magazine. When questioned, Exius acknowledged owning the vehicle and driving during the pursuit but claimed the magazine belonged to one of the friends who escaped. Police verified that Exius held no firearm license in the territory.

Exius was charged with operating a motor vehicle with excessive tint, failure to obey a police stop order, interfering with an officer, possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of an unlicensed firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of ammunition, reckless endangerment in the first degree, and leaving the scene of an accident.

He was initially held at the Bureau of Corrections after failing to post $100,000 bail. His bail was later reduced to $50,000 with a 10 percent cash option. A family member posted $5,005 on Monday afternoon, securing his release pending arraignment on November 6, 2026.