Palm Coast, FL - A chase that went across several neighbor's yards in Palm Coast's "W" section resulted in the arrest of a convicted felon. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office (FCSO) says that 35-year-old Kyle Knever was arrested last Friday (May 1) on a charge of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon Without Intent to Kill and is being held without bond. At this time, no weapon has been discovered.
Deputies say the victim, Knever's ex-girlfriend, saw him in her yard, hiding in the bushes. She told them that he has recently been showing up at her residence unexpectedly and using her outside electrical outlets to charge his cell phone without permission. The victim called her son, who came home to confront Knever. He said he saw a handgun in Knever's waistband and chased him off the property with a stick, then called law enforcement.
FCSO established a perimeter, had a K-9 Unit and Fireflight to help with the search, and issued a Community Alert across social media platforms. During the search, numerous residents began calling the FCSO Communications Center stating Knever was running through their backyards and swimming in one of their pools. A resident on Woodside Drive called and stated he had the male sitting in his backyard, waiting for law enforcement. Knever was taken into custody without incident.
When asked what he was doing in the neighborhood, Knever told deputies that he was in a disturbance with the victim’s son, at her residence, and fled out of fear when he was threatened with a stick. When asked about the firearm, Knever stated he did not have a firearm nor does he own one due to being a convicted felon. When they asked if he noticed the helicopter or the increased police presence in the neighborhood, he said that he "did not."
Deputies located Knever's vehicle parked in a lot across Pine Lakes Parkway. An agreed-to search of the vehicle did not find any weapons.
“This is a great example of residents working together with law enforcement to protect our community and apprehend a suspect,” Sheriff Staly said. “I want to thank the public for all of their calls, especially the caller who ultimately led us to the suspect’s location and enabled us to take him into custody without incident. Unfortunately, a local business manager did not cooperate with our investigators and has evidence we need so we will be back with a subpoena. If they destroy the evidence they will be arrested. This guy is a convicted felon and witnesses saw him heading towards the victim's home with a gun. This could have had a much more tragic outcome.”
The investigation is not finished as no weapon has been found. The FCSO is requesting that anyone with home surveillance footage in the “W Section” of Palm Coast recorded on 5/1/2021 between 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM please call the Non-Emergency line at 386- 313-4911 or email TIPS@flaglersheriff.com
