Man Subdued With Zip Ties After Gas Station Rampage, Family Brawl on St. Croix

A St. Croix man spent Monday night in custody after a violent episode that erupted at a gas station and escalated into a backyard struggle where his father and brother restrained him using industrial plastic ties.

Thomas Figueroa IV, arrested on October 12, faces charges of simple assault and battery involving domestic violence and disturbance of the peace involving domestic violence. A magistrate held him without bail at the John A. Bell Adult Correctional Facility following his appearance on Tuesday morning before Magistrate Christopher M. Timmons.

According to a police affidavit by Patrol Bureau Officer Careeme J. Smith, the trouble began around 7:29 p.m. at Freedom City Service Station in Frederiksted. Figueroa IV grew hostile toward people at the station, threw glass bottles at them, and tried to assault an attendant. His father, Thomas Figueroa III, and brother, Michael Figueroa, stepped in to stop him, physically overpowering him at the business and driving him home to cool down.

Conditions worsened once they reached their residence in Estate Two Williams. As the father and brother talked outside, they noticed Figueroa IV heading toward the back door. When his father pursued him into the yard to bring him back indoors, Figueroa IV swung at him repeatedly with his fists, dropping him to the ground.

Michael jumped in to help his father. The two brothers grappled on the ground, with Figueroa IV landing multiple blows. Michael eventually pinned him down while their father ran to a tool shed for plastic tie straps. The two men bound Figueroa IV's hands until police arrived.

Officer Smith documented that the father's left hand was noticeably swollen from wrist to fingertips following the altercation. When officers reached the scene, all three family members appeared exhausted, disheveled, and breathing heavily.

Family members told police that Figueroa IV has struggled with diagnosed mental illness and behavioral episodes since childhood. They said he had taken prescription medication in the past but had not visited a medical provider for roughly a year since moving back home. When informed of his rights, Figueroa IV declined to speak about the incident.

Under Virgin Islands law, bail is automatically denied in domestic violence cases. Support services are available through the Women's Coalition of St. Croix at (340) 773-9272, available around the clock.