A Sugarloaf Key man was arrested on Friday following an investigation into a confrontation between several men in which two of them were run over by a truck in September.
Robert Paul Nicholas, 29, was charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Around 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 6, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Shell gas station on Ramrod Key in response to a report of a battery with several injured victims. Two men were on the ground with wounds to both of their arms, and one of them had tire marks on both his legs and abrasions on his back.
According to the report, two groups of men got into an argument at Coconuts Bar that night, resulting in both groups being kicked out of the bar. The argument continued in the parking lot, with one man from the first group hitting Nicholas. Four men left in one car, while Nicholas and another man left in Nicholas’ truck.
The first group stopped at a gas station to get cigarettes, and according to the report, Nicholas followed them. He then exited his truck, and approached the men with a pole spear. Surveillance footage shows the four men approach Nicholas. The scene moves out of the view of the camera, but a short time later, Nicholas is seen driving his truck and running over two of the men. The two men get up and are seen hanging onto Nicholas’ truck, punching him.
The two men ultimately fall off, but one of them manages to grab the pole spear from the truck. He is then seen collapsing onto the ground shortly after.
A month long investigation ensued, with detectives interviewing all the victims, suspects and witnesses at the scene. Nicholas stated he never intended to hit the men with his truck, and that he was just maneuvering to get out of the way. He stated he wasn’t sure why he never called the police.
However, the video footage shows Nicholas approaching the men with a pole spear before they even noticed he was there. The video shows the men punching Nicholas only after he ran them over. This taken into account, detectives determined that Nicholas was the aggressor, and charged him with the two counts of aggravated battery.
Nicholas was transported to the Monroe County Detention Center, where he was being held with a $200,00 bond.
Information in the Crime Report is obtained from reports provided by area law enforcement agencies.
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