FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. \u2013 A man running for Florida governor was arrested earlier this month, and newly released body-worn camera footage shows more of what happened.<\/p>\n
In a release, the Flagler County Sheriff\u2019s Office announced that the candidate \u2014 identified as Kevin Cichowski, 46 \u2014 had battered two elderly victims in a home along Cleveland Court on April 10.<\/p>\n
At the time, deputies discovered that Cichowski had struck one of the victims with a can, and threw a cell phone at the other, the release shows. He was also allegedly armed with a gun.<\/p>\n
Kevin Cichowski, 46, of Palm Coast (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 911 caller, who was one of the victims, further reported (Cichowski) had threatened to kill them multiple times and stated he would kill law enforcement if they were called,\u201d deputies wrote.<\/p>\n
Investigators said that when they arrived at the home, they found the two victims hiding in a bedroom, though they couldn\u2019t leave because one of them was bedridden.<\/p>\n
Despite that, deputies revealed they managed to escort the victims out of the home via the lanai, and law enforcement soon made contact with Cichowski, ordering him to surrender.<\/p>\n
[BELOW: Listen to the full 911 call by Cichowski\u2018s mother]<\/p>\n
The FCSO reported that Cichowski was taken into custody without incident, and he now faces the following charges:<\/p>\n
Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (2 counts)<\/p>\n
Battery on a person over 65 (2 counts)<\/p>\n
Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon<\/p>\n
Tampering with a witness<\/p>\n
Robbery by sudden snatching (2 counts)<\/p>\n
While being taken to jail, Cichowski made suicidal statements and was consequently placed into protective custody under the Baker Act, the FCSO continued.<\/p>\n
[RELATED: Waffle House bans governor candidate from all Florida restaurants?]<\/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. \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
According to investigators, Cichowski was previously arrested in 2024 for domestic battery, domestic battery by strangulation and false imprisonment.<\/p>\n