October 13, 2026
Brevard County Store Owner Charged After Running Down 14-Year-Old Suspected Burglar With His Car
Headline card by The Night Desk
What happened
Around 4:30 Tuesday morning, Kavan Patel, 32, owner of the Quick Check Food Store at 1100 S. Wickham Road in West Melbourne, Florida, got an alert from his alarm company about a possible break-in at his store.
Patel drove over and, police say, spotted a 14-year-old boy leaving the area on an e-bike. Patel suspected the teen had damaged the store's front door. Instead of calling 911, Patel followed the boy in his car — and, according to the arrest affidavit, crashed into the e-bike at roughly 30 mph.
The teen was thrown onto the road. Patel then turned his car around and drove back to his store, where he called 911 to report the break-in attempt — but said nothing about hitting the boy, police say.
The teen was found nearly an hour later
West Melbourne police had been dispatched to the store around 4:21 a.m. While officers were searching the area for a possible burglary suspect, one of them found the 14-year-old lying unresponsive in a ditch around 5:30 a.m., suffering skull injuries.
The boy — whose name has not been released — was rushed to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne. Police report he is in critical condition.
Investigators later located video showing a vehicle matching Patel's at the scene. When officers confronted him about the footage, Patel admitted he had struck the teen and returned to his store without rendering aid, according to police.
What Patel told police
The arrest affidavit contains the detail that may decide this case: Patel acknowledged that he knew he should have contacted law enforcement rather than hitting the boy with his vehicle — and told officers he was angry at the time of the incident.
It's still not clear what the teenager actually did at the store. Police have not confirmed whether the boy damaged the front door, attempted to break in, or took anything.
The charges
Patel is charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability and leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury. He is being held in the Brevard County Jail Complex without bond.
Source: Florida Today / FOX 35 Orlando
Source: Florida Today / FOX 35 Orlando — read the original report
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