Man Arrested For Attacking Mother’s Boyfriend With Machete; Victim Airlifted To Mainland For Treatment

ST. CROIX – A man is facing charges of assault and mayhem for a machete attack on his mother’s boyfriend, who he claims was threatening to harm the family.

According to court documents, on Wednesday morning at around 8:36, the 911 Emergency Call Center broadcast over police radio that a man was at the Juan F. Luis hospital, bleeding profusely. Officers were dispatched to the hospital, where they met the injured man.

He told them that he had been arguing with his girlfriend about their minor son. The woman’s older son, Xavier Smith and his girlfriend took the boy for a drive, returning around 1:00 a.m. The boy’s father was upset at that turn of events, so he told police he left and went to his own residence.

The man said he returned later that morning to break up with his girlfriend, and collect his car keys as well as some personal items. The conversation got heated, and he told police that he reiterated the end of the relationship, using a profanity for emphasis.

As he was leaving, the man said that he saw Smith running toward him with a machete. He said he warned him to back off, and the two began to argue. The man said he once again expressed his disengagement from the family using strong language. At that, Smith is said to have swung the machete, catching the back of the man’s left arm. The injured man ran to his friend’s vehicle, and was taken to seek medical attention.