Identical twins Raheem and Kareem Louis were arrested Tuesday and charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property.
Officers from the Christiansted burglary task force arrested the 19-year-old twins for stealing a handbag of an employee at the Hand Print bar on King Street, Christiansted on Tuesday.
A witness saw the twins commit the act and brought it to the attention of an off-duty corrections officer, who followed the suspects’ vehicle. Most of the contents of the stolen purse was recovered and returned to the owner, the police said.
According to the police report, the Louis brothers entered the bar and ordered drinks. As the employees’ back was turned, the suspects snatched the handbag and fled. The off-duty corrections officer followed the vehicle and observed where the suspects stashed the bag in some bushes and contacted police at about 1:53 p.m. Descriptions of the suspects and the vehicle was immediately dispatched to all police officers.
A patrol car in the area observed one suspect, later determined to be Raheem Lewis, at about 1:56 p.m. and arrested him. Kareem turned himself in and was arrested about an hour later. Both suspects were held on a $35,000 bail and remanded to the Golden Grove Correctional Facility pending further court action.