Virgin Islands Underwear Chase Praised

A police officer who chased armed robbery suspects clad only in his underwear won praise Friday for not letting a little exposure get in the way of his job.

Officer Dariel Chinnery jumped, barely clothed, into his cruiser this week and chased two men suspected in a violent armed robbery in St. Thomas.

Chinnery, a veteran officer, went "a little above the call of duty," said Police Chief Rodney Querrard, whose department has struggled to contain a rise in violent crime in the U.S. Caribbean island territory.

Tuesday night, a man frantically banged on Chinnery's door, saying he had been shot in the arm by two men who demanded all his money, police said.

Chinnery grabbed his gun as the suspects drove away. After a short car chase, the men abandoned their car and escaped on foot.

Chinnery is well-known for his enthusiasm in issuing traffic tickets and using the loudspeaker on his patrol car to order people to move illegally parked cars.

"People complain, but he does his job," the police chief said.

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