Deputies Arrest Suspect For Cape Canaveral Attack
By Brevard County Sheriff // February 27, 2013
Victim Remains In Hospital
BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA BEACH, FLORIDA – Brevard County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a suspect related to an aggravated battery in Cape Canaveral last week.
Brevard County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Deputy Maria Fernez said Kevin Alexander Bowman of 123 Surf Drive in Cocoa Beach, 39, was arrested Tuesday.
Fernez said deputies were called to the RaceTrac Convenience Store at 8899 Astronaut Boulevard in Cape Canaveral on Feb. 23 in reference to a man who had been severely beaten.
At the scene deputies found a 33-year-old victim, unresponsive with head trauma, seated in a pickup truck that was parked at the gas pumps.
According to a witness, a white male suspect was observed striking the victim multiple times, and then fled from the scene across Astronaut Boulevard and into a wooded area.
Fernez said a search of the immediate vicinity did not locate the suspect.
The victim was transported to Holmes Regional Medical Center Trauma Unit in serious condition. He was was admitted to ICU at that time and is currently listed in stable condition.
Bowman is charged with robbery, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, grand theft of a firearm and dealing in stolen property. He is being held at the Brevard County Jail Complex on a No Bond status.
Fernez said Bowman has a lengthy criminal history, dating back to 1993.
The investigation revealed that the victim and Bowman were allegedly involved in an altercation about drugs, during which, Bowman struck the victim repeatedly in the head causing the victim to lose consciousness.
Fernez said after the victim became unresponsive, Bowman removed a revolver from the Victim’s vehicle before fleeing the scene.
Bowman, who is a convicted felon, subsequently sold the revolver to an individual in the Merritt Island area, according to Fernez.
Agents were able to recover the firearm as part of the investigation and additional charges are pending.
“The life of this victim was most likely saved by the heroic actions of a citizen who witnessed the attack, immediately notified the Sheriff’s Office, and then challenged the attacker,” said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey. “The actions of the citizen not only saved the life of the victim but helped take a violent criminal off our streets.”
Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to call the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit at 321-633-1216 or CRIMELINE at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477). All calls to CRIMELINE are confidential, and callers can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward for information leading to an arrest.
