Charges filed against St. Thomas Man accused of choking and hitting ex in domestic dispute

ST. THOMAS – A man now faces assault charges after allegedly attacking his girlfriend after she refused to lie down with him.

In early September, a St. John woman went to police to report assault by the man she had been dating for the past six months.

The woman said that on September 5, Mohammed Ahmad asked her to travel to St. Thomas to see him because he had sprained his leg. When she got there, he admitted his story wasn’t true. He then told her he had to go to his mother, so the couple set out to meet her.

Along the way, the woman said she told Ahmad to take the back road because she knew he wasn’t allowed to date or be seen with her. However, he reportedly saw his father in the Agave area and began to panic. His then-girlfriend said they eventually decided to go back to his apartment, where he dropped her off and left to see his mother.

When Ahmad got home, the woman said she was lying on the couch. He tried to get on top of her and started pulling her hair forcefully when she tried to push him off her. She told police she warned her then-boyfriend that she was going to bite him because he was hurting her and told him to stop.

When he refused to stop, the woman said she actually bit Ahmad, pushed him away and got up from the couch. That angered her ex, who allegedly pushed her onto the bed, sat on her and began choking her with both hands while verbally abusing her and spitting in her face.

Despite saying she wanted to go home and telling him she could call one of the relatives to pick her up, Ahmad instead persuaded her to accompany him to the store to get water. However, when they left, she was not allowed to take her bag with her.

Upon their return to the apartment, Ahmad asked his then-girlfriend to sleep in his bed. She refused, and he became upset again. The woman told police he had hidden a key under the mattress, and when she found it, she walked to the door. That reportedly prompted Ahmad to rip open the bag containing the woman’s belongings and throw a bottle of hair gel at her.

He reportedly escalated to hitting his ex-ex on her arms, breasts and stomach. When she threatened to call the police, he reportedly told her to go ahead because she would be dead by the time they arrived. She did not call for police help out of fear for her safety.

Ahmad continued the attack and when the woman again threatened to report the abuse, he reportedly began recording himself, highlighting the scratches he suffered during her attempts at self-defense. When the woman was finally able to leave the apartment, she said she called a friend to report the situation as she walked away. As she did so, she told police that Ahmad pulled up next to her in a car, accused her of being dramatic and begged her to get in.

The woman said she rejected his pleas and instead waited with a friend until she could get a boat back to St. John.

After that incident, the relationship was over. The woman told police that she stopped answering Ahmad’s calls, and that he instead started calling her from different numbers. He also began walking by her workplace and smiling at her, which police said made her uncomfortable. The woman said she spent several nights away from her own home, fearing for her safety.

Ahmad turned himself in to VIPD’s Domestic Violence Unity on October 23. After refusing to make a statement, he was arrested and charged with simple assault, second-degree assault and disturbing the peace, all as crimes of domestic violence. He was remanded in custody pending his advice on the hearing.

In court last Friday, Magistrate Paula Norkaitis found probable cause to uphold all charges against Ahmad and set bail at $1,000. He must now report to the probation office weekly by telephone and is not allowed to use alcohol or other controlled substances. Ahmad is also now banned from unlawfully contacting his ex-girlfriend, and is not allowed to visit her workplace unless he is conducting legitimate business.

His next court appearance is scheduled for November 8.