SUPERMARKET REQUEST TURNS INTO BRUTAL ASSAULT AND PERMANENT EYE INJURY FOR ST. THOMAS SHOPPER
FACING MAYHEM CHARGES: Lee M. Joseph of Estate Thomas is currently in custody on St. Thomas following a violent, unprovoked assault inside the Long Bay Pueblo Supermarket. Joseph faces major felony charges, including First-Degree Assault and Mayhem, after allegedly launching a physical attack on a fellow shopper that medical personnel state has left the victim permanently blinded in his right eye. (Photo: VIPD)
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun Staff Writer
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A shocking, unprovoked explosion of violence inside the Long Bay Pueblo Supermarket on St. Thomas has left a shopper permanently blinded in one eye and an Estate Thomas man facing serious felony charges, including First-Degree Assault and Mayhem.
According to probable cause documents filed by detectives with the VIPD Criminal Investigation Bureau, the incident unfolded at approximately 12:30 PM on Friday, May 22, 2026. The victim was shopping inside the supermarket when an unknown male, later identified as Lee M. Joseph, approached him and began staring in an aggressive manner.
The Escalation
When the victim questioned why the man was staring at him, the situation instantly turned violent. In a video-recorded confession later provided to police, Joseph admitted he became enraged after asking the victim to purchase water for him inside the store.
Joseph confessed to throwing a full gallon bottle of water directly into the victim's face before launching a relentless physical attack. The force of the initial assault knocked the shopper to the supermarket floor, rendering him completely defenseless.
Joseph then mounted the fallen shopper, punching him in the face with full force and kicking him multiple times. Before bystanders could physically pull him away, Joseph placed the victim in a tight headlock, squeezing with all his strength and bending the victim’s neck for roughly ten seconds. Joseph then fled the scene.
A Devastating Diagnosis and Major Felony Charges
Responding officers located the bloodied victim and tracked him to the Roy Lester Schneider Medical Center. Medical personnel delivered a grim diagnosis: the victim suffered severe, catastrophic trauma to his right eye, specifically a ruptured globe. Hospital staff advised law enforcement that the victim is expected to permanently lose all sight in that eye as a direct result of the attack.
Supermarket surveillance footage captured the entire unprovoked assault, allowing CIB detectives to positively identify Joseph. Officers located Joseph at his Estate Thomas residence later that day.
Joseph remains in custody, facing heavy criminal charges, including:
Assault in the First Degree (14 V.I.C. § 295(3))
Assault in the Third Degree (Two counts: 14 V.I.C. § 297(a)(3) and § 297(a)(4))
Mayhem (14 V.I.C. § 1341(a)(2))
