FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A man running for Florida governor was arrested earlier this month, and newly released body-worn camera footage shows more of what happened.
In a release, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office announced that the candidate — identified as Kevin Cichowski, 46 — had battered two elderly victims in a home along Cleveland Court on April 10.
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.
“The 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,” deputies wrote.
Investigators said that when they arrived at the home, they found the two victims hiding in a bedroom, though they couldn’t leave because one of them was bedridden.
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.
[BELOW: Listen to the full 911 call by Cichowski‘s mother]
The FCSO reported that Cichowski was taken into custody without incident, and he now faces the following charges:
- Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (2 counts)
- Battery on a person over 65 (2 counts)
- Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon
- Tampering with a witness
- Robbery by sudden snatching (2 counts)
While being taken to jail, Cichowski made suicidal statements and was consequently placed into protective custody under the Baker Act, the FCSO continued.
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“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. “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.”
According to investigators, Cichowski was previously arrested in 2024 for domestic battery, domestic battery by strangulation and false imprisonment.
Furthermore, state records show that Cichowski was running for governor this year as a Democrat. The FCSO noted he also ran for Palm Coast mayor in 2021.