Miscellaneous
Florida store owner hid e-bike collision with teen until police review
A Florida convenience store owner ran over a 14-year-old suspect on an e-bike but withheld the truth from police until surveillance video exposed his actions.
Kavan Vishnubhai Patel, the 32-year-old owner of a Melbourne, Florida convenience store, allegedly struck a juvenile suspect with his vehicle following a reported break-in. Despite witnessing the collision and the teen’s subsequent condition, Patel failed to disclose these events to responding law enforcement officers immediately. The omission persisted until investigators reviewed independent surveillance recordings that contradicted his initial account.
Surveillance captures collision details
The incident began early on October 13, when West Melbourne Police Department officers responded to a burglary alert at the Corner Store located at 100 South Wickham Road. Patel informed authorities that his alarm company notified him around 4:21 a.m. regarding a breach of the front glass door. He traveled from his nearby residence to inspect the premises, arriving shortly after the alert.
Upon reaching the shop, Patel observed a male individual wearing a light-colored hoodie departing on an electric bicycle. The suspect was later identified as a 14-year-old boy whose name remains undisclosed due to juvenile privacy laws. Patel reported seeing the teen travel westward along Sheridan Road before losing visual contact. This information prompted a coordinated search effort involving the Melbourne Police Department and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, which deployed both K-9 units and drone technology to locate the suspect.
However, home security footage obtained by WESH 2 News reveals a different sequence of events near Cocoanut Grove Avenue. The video shows Patel’s vehicle striking the teenager, followed by impacts against a mailbox and trash cans. After the collision, the car executed a U-turn, paused briefly, and then departed the scene without stopping to assist the injured youth.
Police uncover hidden facts
Following an unsuccessful search using canine and aerial resources, a West Melbourne Police officer discovered the 14-year-old lying unresponsive in a ditch. Emergency services transported the juvenile to Holmes Regional Medical Center for critical care. Investigators subsequently analyzed the surveillance evidence, which revealed Patel’s involvement in the collision.
Officers noted discrepancies during their initial response, observing Patel examining damage to the front passenger side of his vehicle. This physical evidence aligned with the description of the car seen in the footage hitting the teen. Confronted with this information, Patel eventually admitted to running over the suspect and concealing the incident from police. The case highlights how digital evidence can override verbal accounts in criminal investigations.
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