Florida Governor candidate Kevin Cichowski was arrested at gunpoint after he was accused of battering two elderly victims, and the incident was caught on police bodycam footage.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Cichowski, 46, has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of battery on a person over 65, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, tampering with a witness and two counts of robbery by sudden snatching.
Deputies received reports that a man attacked two elderly victims at a home in Flagler County, according to NBC Miami. Cichowski has been accused of hitting one of the victims with a cane and throwing a cellphone at the other. Additionally, he was reportedly armed at the time of the incident.
One of the victims told authorities that Cichowski also threatened to kill them, as well as the law enforcement officers if they were called to the scene.
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Upon their arrival at the home, the deputies found the two victims hiding in a bedroom. The victims were then escorted out of the home, with them explaining to the deputies that they couldn’t initially leave because one of them was bedridden.
After the victims were safely out of the home, the deputies set their sights on Cichowski. Bodycam footage captured deputies pointing their weapons at Cichowski as they ordered him to get on the ground. He was then placed in handcuffs before he was taken to the police cruiser.
Deputies said that Cichowski made suicidal statements while they were on their way to the detention facility. He was then “Baker Acted,” which is when inmates undergo an involuntary, emergency detention for up to 72 hours to have a mental health examination.
“When responding to a situation where a suspect has a weapon and has threatened to kill the victims and law enforcement, it’s critical that we do everything we can to safely de-escalate the situation and quickly rescue the victims from immediate danger,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement shared in a news release. “I commend our deputies, RTCC analysts, and the 911 dispatchers for working together for a safe resolution and arrest the suspect before the situation escalated to a violent ending.”
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It is not currently clear if Cichowski has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. It is also not known how he knew the elderly victims.
Cichowski has been in trouble with the law before the latest incident. Deputies said that he was arrested in 2024 for domestic battery, domestic battery by strangulation and false imprisonment. However, the outcome of that case is not currently known.
In addition to currently running for governor of Florida, Cichowski previously ran for Palm Coast Mayor in 2021.