Man wanted for St. Thomas strangulation-beating now in official custody

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Thomas man wanted for a brutal domestic violence assault is now behind bars in St. Thomas.

Akeem Forbes, 35, was arrested and charged with second-degree assault-domestic violence, simple assault-domestic violence, grand larceny and disturbance of the peace-domestic violence, the Virgin Islands Police Department said. The case against Forbes began at 9:00 a.m. on October 5, 2024, when the Domestic Violence Unit was notified of a domestic violence assault that took place in Contant, according to the VIPD.

The victim, an adult female, stated that on Saturday, October 5, 2024, her boyfriend, Akeem Forbes, struck her with a closed fist numerous times in the head and strangled her, police said. The woman said that she was eventually able to escape and ran to a relative’s residence to seek safety, according to police.