EDGEWATER, Fla. – A man arrested by Edgewater police is accused of breaking into an auto repair shop and stealing a customer’s car before being chased down and rammed early Tuesday.
In a social media post written similarly to a Christmas poem, the Edgewater Police Department described its response to a reported burglary and theft at Hibiscus Wholesale Auto Parts Inc., located along Flagler Avenue. A 911 caller can he heard telling police that a suspect stole a customer’s car.
Referencing the initial call as having come in on “the eve of Christmas Eve,” timestamps on body-worn camera video of the pursuit suggest it was in still progress around 1 a.m. on Dec. 24.
On the video, an officer can be heard saying that the suspect — identified as Kevin Campana, 31 — was at one point dodging spike strips and had failed an apparent attempt to get on Interstate 95 as he tried to avoid capture.
The video, shared on Christmas by Edgewater police, shows the moments after officers say they rammed and disabled the car that Campana was driving through backroads and alleys. Officers can then be seen approaching the now-overturned vehicle, pulling Campana out of it and placing him in handcuffs.
He thought he could outrun, but he couldn’t get far, when he met K-9 units head-on in his car. 🐕🚓
The ride got disabled, and he started to cry, thinking that maybe, just maybe, he'd get by. 😢
Well, Kevin was wrong — we had him that day, Charged with burglary, theft, and fleeing the fray.
So here’s a reminder, from the EPD crew:
Don't commit crimes, and don't try to flee too! 🚫
Merry Christmas to all, and to criminals a warning, don’t make us work on your holiday morning! 🎅🎄
We’ll catch you, we’ll stop you, we’ll always prevail, In Edgewater, no one escapes the law’s trail! 🔒
Edgewater Police Department on Facebook, 11:07 a.m. Dec. 25, 2024 (excerpt)
Campana remained in custody Thursday on $32,500 bond, according to booking records. He faces charges of fleeing/eluding law enforcement with disregard to the safety of persons/property, grand theft of a motor vehicle, burglary of an unoccupied structure and driving while license revoked (habitual), records show.
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