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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Deputies received reports that a man attacked two elderly victims at a home in Flagler County, according to NBC Miami<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Florida Woman Disappointed \u2018Dull\u2019 Kitchen Knives Didn\u2019t Kill Her 83-Year-Old Stepfather<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019t initially leave because one of them was bedridden.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen responding to a situation where a suspect has a weapon and has threatened to kill the victims and law enforcement, it\u2019s critical that we do everything we can to safely de-escalate the situation and quickly rescue the victims from immediate danger,\u201d Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement shared in a news release<\/a>. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n