TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Grand Case Incident

Yeah, the bloody pants picture gives great pause.

The past two years have felt safe driving through Sandy Ground but proceed slowly as yes the scooters can sometimes present crazy drivers.

We park in the lot across from Le Pressoir often and although we watch our surroundings, have never had a problem except for the guy trying to get you to pay to park and we haven't seen him for awhile.

Yes this makes you think hard about your safety, but it certainly happens back at home and one of the reasons we don't travel into Philadelphia hardly ever to eat and we would usually went 2-3 times a month

The one time we stayed at GCBC and drove every night to have dinner in Grand Case as we didn't like the secluded walk although many feel safe walking
also we travel in very low season

Just finished lunch in Grand Case and talking to some staff, pretty unfortunate event. The other thing is this is the most busy I have seen the French side and its something else, reservations are pretty much a must.

The French side probably need a more physical presence of Gendarme late night like it was during NYE.

Maybe after this it will happen.

Sometimes the hard truth is if some dudes are yelling and screaming to take your bag at midnight with a gun I would just drop the bag; bad crimes happen everywhere.

Do you beieve they just walked into a gun shop and bought them? They are stolen from somewhere doesn't make to much difference from where or how they got on the island.

Give me a break. No they didn't walk into a gun shop. No such business on island. If they bough or stole them from some other person in possession of them they were somehow smuggled on the island which authorities, if doing their job, should confiscate the gun and arrest the person doing it.

We just got back from Grand Case for a week. Never felt unsafe. We are from a small town in NC. Smaller population than the whole island. We already have one murder this year. We have gun violence robberies, etc. it is a whole lot safer on the island than most of America. Be smart, be aware, and you should be fine.

And, i heard by a local about an attempted? Daytime robbery of taxi driver and the passengers... three assailants.

Also, the yachties had issues at the beginning of dec. The police force found allegedly 20 dingies a few weeks later.

Impossible task on an island with hundreds of boat, yachts arriving or departing daily.

Update on investigation.
LINK

Not really an update. No info.

Now stating he was shot in chest and not leg as previously reported and assailants where on scooters.

Sorry, I missed that. As far as the bad guys being on scooters, that's a given.

And someone on SXM or Bust Facebook page called this "Fake News". UGH.

Craziness

We are due to check in to the GCBC in April. Really hoping “they” follow through and put the police/security/gendarmerie in full view with authority.

If we keep our plans to stay in April, our plan is to be back to the GCBC with plenty of daylight left and use the beach (where passable). Late lunches / early dinners for us. GCBC shuttle if needed.

Hate this even needs to be a topic.

I look at that site every day and never saw that statement. Hopefully not true.

Probably worth a call to GCBC ask if anything is being done on their part. Probably wont be alone in calling.

We are contemplating a summer trip. This has lead to ‘less contemplating’ as we do go there (GC) and it’s not a place we would want to avoid during the trip.

We are not fraidy cats but we generally dont plan a vacation to places where we have a decent chance of being a victim. Or frequent places on island with the same.

I cant imagine a trip to SXM without Bistrot Caraibes. The LOLOs for the original memories and the supporting patronage even if not always great. I like their effort.

The rest of GC we can take/leave.

"The public prosecutor, Xavier Sicot, confirmed to the newspaper Le Pélican this Wednesday, January 8 that "two arrests were made this morning in connection with the facts of Sunday evening". Two days after the events that caused a stir and many reactions, two individuals were arrested by the police."

Probably no way to find the press conference transcript?

Glad they made some arrests….small win I suppose.

Sorry Scuba, I did see it.

I believe you but can't believe people would post that.

It sounds like this terrible shooting took place in a popular area that has been considered safe to walk, at least in the typical dinner hours, but I gather is obviously much more dangerous late at night…

The side discussion about the bandits stopping cars in the Sandy Ground area and robbing those folks is a revelation to us and very disturbing…We haven’t stayed on either side of the island in a few years, but follow the news, and other islands look much safer at the moment…

Seriously? Why would I write something like that otherwise? UGH. What a [censored] thing to say.

All right guys, let's calm down. I know this incident is very disturbing to all, but we need to be kind to each other.

Some updates via FaxInfo

https://www.faxinfo.fr/en/retablir-la-securite-a-grand-case-un-enjeu-vital-pour-saint-martin/

Sounds like no cars allowed from 8pm-3am on boulevard and more police presence.

Guess a work in progress but some long-term issues need to be figured out as well.

I wonder if that means GCBC won't provide shuttle service for evening dinners, since no vehicles 8p-3a

I feel like if you park your car in one of the $5 lots before dinner and leave after 8pm you would be allowed to leave, also suspect taxis/shuttles would have the right to drive down the boulevard but cant verify.

Hopefully some common sense is applied while trying to keep visitors safe.

I was talking with Armand Meda Former Public Relations for Minister yesterday. Things we talked about was the gangs and gangs of illegal scooters and how to get them off the streets. I'll get to that another time, but he had a GREAT idea!!! Mostly that there is no inspection of ANY of these multi million dollar yachts that roll on in to the ports carrying God knows what??? Drugs, guns maybe even scooters??? He was saying that, just like us we have to be scanned before boarding, these vessels need to be inspected before granted permission to dock!!! THIS!!! Is partly in part the answer!!! Let's not forget all the private jets that take off and land the same day???? There has to be a payday there too!!! Mass shakedowns has to be put in place!! Ask any TSA agent, the crazy "things" they confiscate and lock up!!! ON Sandy Ground: Have NOT driven through there in over twenty years at night, always had that "Deliverance" music in my head!! NO THANK YOU!!

I just spoke to manager at GCBC about pedestrian traffic only in GC and was wondering if that meant no shuttle from the Beach Club and she said they were told only parking would be restricted not traffic. So it seems left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. Time will tell and someone visiting GC will report I'm sure.

So French vs. Dutch side criminality - I live at the Yacht Club Residences. There have been 5 episodes of gunfire within about 100 meters of my pillow in the last 14 months that I am aware of. 2 fatal (Lotus Night Club), 1 Critical (the Susan Grocery Store robbery), and two recent episodes of discharges into the air (Lotus closing hour) like cowboys in a western, shootin' up the town. We're leaving.

I live here and have never heard of this, so I think it's maybe a semi-urban legend. Or maybe if it happened, it was once.

This is not likely to work. To properly inspect a superyacht would take a team off customs agents several hours to do properly - often while there are high value guests aboard. None of the owners/skippers would stand for it, and it would more or less end the superyacht industry here, which is about 10% of the entire economy of the Dutch side. As for the aircraft, their passengers are stupid wealthy, and the pilots are well paid. It's hard to imagine either group would be smuggling handguns as there's no real money in it.

Ritchard--Agreed, I see yachts or private planes as not an issue with regard to crime. Although I can't really imagine that is true that 10% of the entire economy is from the yacht industry.

I’d suspect more the freighter ships and all the small boats hopping around in/out as being the source of contraband.

An elderly lady taxi driver confided to us before Irma that she sleeps with a loaded gun. If she has one, a lot of people have one. And I dont blame anybody especially if they have a risk.

We live in Mayberry, and I dont even remember the code to the safe I keep em in. But I know where to find the code if Mayberry goes south.

That is enough gun shots 100M from your pillow for me to leave the neighborhood.

I'd be more worried about the various crews bringing theguns in.

A month ago the Sint Maarten Marine Trades Association, as well as the Minister for TEATT received the final report from a large economic impact study that was undertaken over the last couple of years. According to the study, the entire yacht industry accounted for some 16.3% of the Dutch side GDP in 2023. Since this activity encompasses both superyachts and more humble recreational vessels, I took an educated guess and split it 10% and 6% in favor of the superyacht side. They really do spend crazy money here, and 2024 will be greater than 2023. See the Dec 14 Herald for the story.

I am typically not an alarmist and really don’t curse, but WTF is going on? Gang war? This past 7 days has seen at least 4 shootings, with 3 people dead. Just last night in Grand Case, another youth shot and killed, 2 injured.

https://www.faxinfo.fr/en/nouvelle-fusillade-un-mort-et-deux-blesses-a-grand-case/

https://sxmnews.ai/two-injured-one-dead-grand-case-saint-martin-details/

I’m not sure the tourists will be coming anytime soon.

Is anyone in GC right now? Any details or info? I thought security was high alert? Maybe this happened after the “pedestrian zone” was lifted and the gendarmerie left!?

Question: Honey, want to to dinner in Grand Case tonight?
Answer: No, lets just stay here, why take a chance.

We didn’t go to Marigot long ago due to the guy who would scare you at parking. This is a lot more troubling than him.

I would agree with that assessment.

Mercy. Again, the time was midnight, and it was locals involved this time. But this is crazy.