ORANJESTAD – During the nightly hours of today, Sunday February 3rd, a fight broke out between a number of people in an establishment on St. Eustatius. According to KPCN, two officers who were present, but off duty tried to stop the fight but were attacked. As a result, the officers had to use physical force to defend themselves. 

One of the suspects, according to information from KPCN,  pulled out a knife and tried to stab one of the officers. The officer ran backwards to create distance between him and the suspect after the suspect tried to stab him with the knife in his hand. 

The suspect again approached the officer with the knife, after which the officer verbally threatened to use his firearm. The officer who threatened to use the firearm did not have a firearm with him. The other officer who was also involved was armed, but did not draw his firearm at any time. 

According to a spokesperson for KPCN, officers expose themselves to danger 24/7 to protect and serve the community of the Caribbean Netherlands. 

“KPCN urges the public to comply with laws and regulations, treat each other with respect and obey the enforcement of the law. Collaboration to promote mutual trust between the police and the community will ensure safe and livable communities for all residents of the Caribbean Netherlands”, according to a statement from Police on Sunday.

Saba incident

A recent incident, which took place on Saba with an off-duty officer pulling his weapon, has tensions running high on Saba and to a lesser extent on St. Eustatius. While KPCN in their statement defends the two officers in question, there are other versions running on the island with a less positive description of what actually took place. 

It is not clear if KPCN will still open an investigation into the exact course of events and the involvement of the Officers in question.