St. Thomas man charged with felony assault after chair attack on father

A St. Thomas resident has been arrested and charged with felony assault following a domestic dispute that turned violent at a Bolongo Bay address on Tuesday evening, with responding officers present throughout the incident.

Amori Smith faces three charges in Superior Court: third-degree assault with a domestic violence component, disturbance of the peace by threats, and destruction of property also classified as domestic violence, according to court filings released Thursday.

Police responded to 1010 Bolongo Bay at around 9:47 p.m. on November 10 after receiving a report of a male fighting multiple people inside the home. Officers found Smith in an altercation involving his brother Amoi Smith, his mother Ryllis Smith, and a cousin attempting to separate them.

According to a police affidavit filed by Officer Cashaun Fraser, the confrontation began when Amoi arrived home from school and greeted his mother before heading to his bedroom. As Amoi passed by, Amori allegedly grabbed a garbage bin and rushed toward him down the hallway, telling him, "Let me show you an example of how to walk past this room."

The situation escalated while officers were speaking with Amori's father, Aubrey Smith Jr., on the porch. A disagreement arose between father and son regarding Amoi's paternity. Aubrey Smith Jr. responded to Amori's challenge by asking, "You sure you is my son?"

Amori then stood, pushed aside a chair that was between them, and moved aggressively toward his father. When a cousin moved to intervene, Amori seized a plastic porch chair and swung it with his left hand, striking his father near the face. Officer Fraser immediately restrained Amori and placed him in handcuffs.

During transport to a patrol unit, Smith resisted arrest and refused to enter the vehicle unless permitted to see his aunt first, police reported. Officers documented damage to one plastic chair and two legs of an outdoor table on the porch.

Smith was booked at the Richard N. Callwood Command and held at the Bureau of Corrections. He appeared Thursday morning for an Advice of Rights hearing before Magistrate Judge Simone M. VanHolten-Turnbull in St. Thomas Magistrate Division Courtroom MG-2.