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TITUSVILLE, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - The suspect in an armed home invasion, sexual battery, and kidnapping incident in Casselberry identified on Wednesday as 32-year-old Benjamin Victor Hovan, has been arrested.
Titusville Police took Hovan into custody just before noon on Thursday after an officer spotted him pumping gas at a station on Washington Avenue. The officer approached him, but Hovan resisted arrest and ran. After a brief foot chase, the officer brought Hovan down using a Taser.
Officer Austin Quinn said he saw an image of Hovan on the news. When he happened to walk into a gas station and hold the door open for Hovan, he said he knew it was him.
"The surveillance image I saw, he was behind a glass window, and when I saw him behind the glass door, he was a dead ringer for the guy," Officer Quinn explained.
"Handcuff him right now!" you can hear Officer Quinn shout in body camera video of the takedown released on Friday.
He reloads his Taser and chases Hovan.
"It was pretty high paced, because I didn't know he had a weapon on him. I had cause to stop him, I was pretty sure he was who I thought he was."
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Authorities said Hovan was in possession of a stolen Mercedes from a home invasion in the Miami area. He was taken to a hospital for minor injuries, before being booked.
"It feels pretty good because he could have stopped. No one else got hurt now he is where he needs to be for the time being," Officer Quinn added.
Casselberry Police say a man, later identified as Hovan, entered an apartment occupied by two women over the weekend. He accused of sexually battering one of the victims and then kidnapping both by forcing them into a vehicle owned by one of the victims. He then reportedly drove the victims to a Publix in Maitland, where he ordered one to get money out of the ATM.
"He had one of the victim's stay with him while the other went to the ATM," said Chief Krantz. "This victim was able to notify a Publix employee of what was going on and they called 911 and called notified police. It appears he then became scared, grabbed the keys from the victim entered the victim's vehicle and drove off."
The vehicle stolen was found abandoned on Tuesday in Maitland.
Casselberry Police said Hovan's arrest comes following five-day crime spree.
"We're very happy he's no longer on the streets, for everybody. He was traveling a long distance, committing any crime he could," said Casselberry Police Capt. Brenda Brandenberger.
Capt. Brandenberger said Hovan is wanted for questioning by law enforcement across the state.
"He said to his father that he did something bad and needed to leave the area," she said. "Miami is coming to interview him, because the car that he was found in possession of was stolen out of Miami, and there maybe a link to a Maitland case, so Maitland is going to talk to him."
Police in South Florida say Hovan pistol-whipped an elderly woman who was feeding her cats, stole her car and then headed back north.
"Was making his way back and got stopped by the Titusville Police Department and arrested. Very joyful the community can now feel safe."