On Monday January 4th at approximately 08.00 p.m. the Emergency Central Dispatch received a call requesting police assistance at the Sunset Beach where four men were assaulting an on-duty security guard. When the patrol arrived on the scene and approached the situation in order to detain these men all four suspects resisted their detention and started to fight with officers. Immediately back-up was called in to assist in the arrest. When the suspects noticed that back-up was called in they took off running and fled the scene through the bushes in the Maho Reef area and surrounding. At that same time a second call came into the dispatch center informing them that the suspects in question were possibly military trained.
Several patrols were sent in the Maho Reef and surrounding areas in search of the suspects. During a lengthy search two of the suspects were arrested and taken to the Philipsburg Police Station where they are detained for further investigation. The other two were not caught. The security guard that was assaulted filed an official complaint with the Detective department.
The Police Department is also stating that contrary to a press release by a local news paper in the edition of Tuesday January 5th as follows; the suspects in question are not officers from the Gendarmes or from the French military. At no time did the Gendarmes come over to the Dutch side in connection with this case. There was absolutely no stand-off, at any time, between the Gendarmes and the Dutch-side Police. The Gendarmes and the Dutch Police have a very good working relationship between them and are striving to make this relationship much stronger.
Finally the Police Department is stating that they are totally not responsible for any statement made in that press release.