Assault - The Caribbean Safety and Security Net

3110 – Assault in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – St. Vincent – Buccament Bay

Incident Date: 2023-10-10 at 00:15

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: Cash, ring, binoculars, fishing/diving gear, large flashlight

Secured: Does not apply

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: CSSN NOTE: This report replaces a previous PRELIMINARY 2nd hand report (3105)||A yacht with two persons on board anchored alone in Buccament Bay, St. Vincent around 1000HRS. At 0015HRS they were boarded by two men, armed with a gun and a knife who broke through the companionway door. The crew was held at gunpoint (head) and knifepoint (back). The armed men ransacked (and damaged) the yacht before roughly taking a ring from the woman's finger, which later required medical treatment. Also cash, binoculars, fishing/diving gear, and a large flashlight were stolen.||After about an hour onboard the men left rowing a wooden boat. A report was made to the police and Coast Guard.

October 10, 2023

3072 – Assault in Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad – Scotland Bay

Incident Date: 2023-08-02 at 20:00

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: cash, 2 phones, 1 tablet and all credit cards, dive mask

Secured: N/A

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: A singlehander anchored his yacht in Scotland Bay, Trinidad. No other yachts were present. He purchased fish from a local fisherman. The fisherman returned again a few days later accompanied by a prostitute and again offered fish and also services. The services were declined and the 2 were invited onboard for a drink. ||The captain was knocked unconscious and awoke in a daze sometime later with severe head injuries. He asked the fisherman for help and assistance with transit to the hospital. The fisherman asked for money. When the captain went below to get his wallet, he found that it had been emptied of all cash and credit cards, and realized he had been robbed. Also missing were 2 phones and a tablet. He asked the two to leave, and they departed.||The captain managed to take his boat to Chaguaramas late that night and received assistance from other cruisers. He was taken immediately to the hospital and admitted. ||After discharge he returned to his yacht and a full report was made to the police, and later to his consulate. ||Police have identified a suspect but have not been successful in locating/apprehending the man. He is also suspected in another incident of theft, see CSSN ALERT! 3088. ||CSSN will as a matter of policy update this report if new information from the police is made available.

August 2, 2023

3036 – Assault in Saint Lucia – Anse Canaries

Incident Date: 2023-06-13 at 00:05

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: Cash, tablet, phone, VHF radios, all clothing and food, chartplotter and GPS, epoxy resin and hardener, earphones, backpack, dinghy and 9.8HP Tohastu

Secured: Not Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: UPDATED REPORT : The victim has provided additional detail. This report replaces the original secondhand report previously published.||A singlehander anchored in Anse Canaries between 1700-1800HRS, there were no other yachts in the anchorage. He was awakened with a machete to his throat just after midnight. Three(3) young men had arrived by kayak and boarded the unlocked yacht. The captain complied with their demands, was threatened with death and then tied up by one of the 2 masked men. Over the course of 2 hours the men stole cash, electronics, all food and clothing and then departed in the yachts dinghy with the kayak in tow. The captain sustained minor injuries but was able to untie himself. ||The thieves had left behind the trackable Garmin In-Reach which the captain used to contact and inform family members, who then contacted Interpol who then engaged the local St. Lucia marine police. The yacht departed immediately but was met many miles offshore sometime later by the marine police. A verbal report was made and the yacht continued to its next port. A full report was made with local officials on arrival and St. Lucian officials later that day. St. Lucian officials reported that they had recovered the dinghy/outboard ashore. An investigation was opened by St. Lucia police, and efforts are underway to get the dinghy/outboard back to the owner. || CSSN will update this report if authorities make progress with arrest/prosecution. ||NOTE: This is not the first recent instance of armed robbery in this bay, or nearby in the Soufriere/Pitons area. No arrests have been made in any of the earlier cases. Utilize the CSSN archives and Zoom-Tap maps for 2022 to easily review those 5 incidents.

June 13, 2023

3086 – Assault in Colombia – Isla Tortuguilla

Incident Date: 2023-05-19 at 22:00

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: Cell phones, laptops, outboard and small items.

Secured: Does not apply

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: A yacht transiting from Panama to Cartagena anchored late in the day to overnight at Isla Tortuguilla. There were no other boats anchored there. They closed up and locked the boat for the night. At 2200HRs several men armed with automatic weapons arrived in an open boat with 40HP outboard and boarded. ||The captain reluctantly opened up and the men ransacked the yacht. They collected valuables and then with a blast of gunfire forced all of the crew into the open boat and took them ashore where they were held hostage at gunpoint overnight. The crew was treated roughly but there were no physical injuries. The youngest crew member was handcuffed and then "interviewed" by the leader. The thieves seemed to think the crew was involved in drug smuggling, but found no drugs. They made it clear visitors were not welcome.||The next morning, the thieves returned the hostages to the yacht and released them, and stole the outboard engine. ||The crew departed and plans to make a report to their consular officials.

May 19, 2023

3018 – Assault in Honduras – Roatan – Coxen Hole

Incident Date: 2023-04-18 at 02:30

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: Cash, backpack, cellphone

Secured: Not Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: A yacht anchored alone in Coxen Hole. On the second night at 0230HRS two masked and armed men boarded through the lit cockpit/open companionway. They proceeded to tie the crew at gunpoint with braided shoelaces they had brought with them and covered their victim’s face with a tshirt. They ransacked the forward cabin briefly and took cash, a phone and a backpack they had emptied. The boarders spoke a non-Spanish local language and were onboard for only 3-5 minutes before leaving the scene with their accomplices in a panga. The crew was not injured. ||A police report was made. No forensics were collected.||The yacht departed later the same day.

April 18, 2023

3011 – Assault in Panama – Portobello

Incident Date: 2023-03-26 at 00:15

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: nothing of value

Secured: Not Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: PRELIMINARY REPORT – A yacht crew was awoken by their dog when they were boarded by 2 men armed with guns and knives. A fight ensued, and the 3 crew sustained numerous cuts and bruises. The thieves departed without anything of value. A VHF call for assistance was made, with no response. The local police were called but were slow to respond. No further details are currently available.||CSSN NOTE: We will update this report when victims are able to make a firsthand report.||UPDATED REPORT :||This report has been updated with the assistance of the victims. ||At 0015HRS on their second night in the bay, the three crew onboard an anchored monohull were boarded and assaulted by 2 masked/hooded men, one armed with a gun. They awoke to their dog barking as the men entered through the unlocked companionway. A vigorous fight ensued in both the salon and cockpit as the crew attempted to defend themselves with their fists and a winch handle. Two times the masked gunman attempted to discharge his semiautomatic handgun at the crew, but it failed to fire. The two ejected cartridges were recovered later, and showed no dents in the casings. || The 2 assailants abandoned the fight and departed when they realized they were outnumbered and unable to successfully fire their semiautomatic handgun. They had been onboard for about 5 minutes. They jumped into the water, leaving behind the kayak they had stolen earlier from another yacht. The bloodied crew was badly shaken and made multiple calls for help on VHF16, but there was no response. They sounded a loud alarm and began yelling from the deck, but no one anchored or ashore made any response to their calls for help. Phone calls to the police went unanswered. They treated their injuries and waited for daylight. ||Later that day a police report was made with assistance ashore from a local business. The crew learned that the police website information was incorrect and had not been updated. The yacht departed to Linton Bay where their yacht was searched the next morning by the police with assistance from Aeronaval. No forensics were collected. That night at 2230HRs a large contingent of officers returned with a court order and again searched the victims yacht very thoroughly for several hours. Again, no forensics were collected. ||A report was made to the captain’s home country consulate, and the victims departed Panama.

March 26, 2023

2976 – Assault in Saint Martin (France) – Marigot Bay

Incident Date: 2023-02-07 at 00:30

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: phones and electronics

Secured: N/A

Source Type: 2nd Hand Report

Incident Details: A yacht was boarded by 3 men armed with guns armed at 0030HRS. The family was robbed of phones and electronics. The captain was pistol whipped. ||The police were contacted, but were unable to provide timely transport so the victims used their own dinghy and proceeded immediately to the hospital for medical treatment. A full police report was made. ||No further details are currently available.||CSSN NOTE: If you are a victim , or encounter a victim, please encourage a (firsthand) CSSN report. The online form is available here, and privacy is assured.

February 7, 2023

2943 – Assault in Saint Lucia – Pitons

Incident Date: 2022-12-18 at 03:00

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: Mobile phones (other : unknown, to be updated)

Secured: N/A

Source Type: 2nd Hand Report

Incident Details: PRELIMINARY REPORT : At 0300HRS a charter catamaran on a SMMA park mooring at Pitons was boarded by six(6) men armed with machetes and robbed of cellphones , plus other items tbd. It is not known if there were any injuries. A report was made to the SMMA park rangers. Further details expected when the charter returns to its base on Monday, 19 December.||CSSN UPDATE : 19 December – The charter company has refused to provide any details or contact information for the victims. If you are a victim, please complete the CSSN online incident report so that others can understand the facts about what did/did not occur. ||This is the 5th reported violent incident in the Soufriere/Pitons area in the last 5 months, see CSSN incidents 2894, 2897, 2876 and 2848. ||Patrols are reported to have been recently put in place, but were clearly not an effective deterrent in this latest case.

December 18, 2022

2894 – Assault in Saint Lucia – Soufriere

Incident Date: 2022-10-06 at 00:30

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: phone, tablet computer and clothing

Secured: Not Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: A cruising couple on their yacht on an SMMA mooring were awoken and boarded at 0030HRS by 4 masked/hooded men with knives and machetes. The thieves stole electronics (phone,tablet,computer) and personal items (clothing). The crew was not injured. A police report was made, no forensics were taken.||CSSN NOTE: approximately one month ago a similar incident was reported at this location, see 2876 .

October 6, 2022

2876 – Assault in Saint Lucia – Soufriere

Incident Date: 2022-08-26 at 02:15

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: A small amount of cash

Secured: Not Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: At 0215HRS a yacht on an SMMA mooring for its 3rd night was boarded by armed thieves. One of the assailants came thru an open hatch and then entered the salon where a female crew member was awake, and she began yelling. He attempted to silence her with a hand over her mouth and attempted to stuff a rag in her mouth and then began choking her, as she continued to struggle and yelled. A second crew member (male) awoke and it became violent and louder as many blows were exchanged. A second assailant entered thru the companionway and began assaulting the crew as well. The activity woke a third male crew member who came from the V berth, with crew now outnumbering the intruders 3 to 2. At this point the intruders jumped overboard and swam toward shore. || A knife that belonged to one of the intruders was found on the salon floor. The crew was well bloodied, and the intruders left behind significant blood as well. The crew chose to treat their own injuries. A small amount of cash had been taken, and the cover on the cockpit chart plotter had been removed. ||Reports were made to the police, Coast Guard and SMMA authorities. No forensics were taken.

August 26, 2022

Tag: Assault Archives