A St. Augustine man came face-to-face with fugitive Tomal Bowe on Thursday afternoon — just moments before Bowe allegedly stole his work truck and continued a chase that had already stretched across I-95 and International Golf Parkway.
“I’ve lived here my whole life,” local business owner Travis Bassa told The Citizen. “And I’ve never been through anything like this.”
Bowe, 33, was taken into custody around 8 p.m. after an hours-long manhunt that sent dozens of deputies, K-9 teams, and helicopters swarming the wooded neighborhoods near Abbotts Way.
Earlier that day, deputies say Bowe fled a traffic stop on I-95, leading to a high-speed pursuit that ended only after a PIT maneuver disabled his vehicle. He bolted into the woods and vanished.
He emerged near a commercial property where Bassa, the 32-year-old owner of Travis Mobile Detailing, was working on a fleet of vehicles for a local company.
“We were out there working on cars in the parking lot,” Bassa said. “This guy just comes walking in. He was calm. Totally calm. Like he belonged there.”
Unaware that the man was the subject of a sprawling manhunt — and had just run through the woods and hopped a fence — Bassa continued his labors
He watched as the stranger peered into vehicles, checking for keys.
“I thought maybe he was a worker from the company we were detailing for,” Bassa said. “He was so relaxed. Looking back, it was scary how relaxed he was.”
But Bowe’s intentions suddenly became clear after climbed into Bassa’s personal work van and stomped the accelerator.
“He slammed it in reverse,” Bassa said. “He almost hit us, he almost hit other cars. I’m yelling, ‘What are you doing?’ but he just took off.”
With sirens now echoing in the distance, Bassa and his crew sprinted toward the roadway. Bowe shot down a dead end, whipped the van around, and blasted back out.
Deputies, unaware their fugitive had just stolen a vehicle, screamed directly past him in the opposite direction.
“We were yelling and pointing at the van, trying to let them know he was in the van,” Bassa said. “They turned around quick.”
The stolen Ford was later found abandoned near Abbotts Way on US 1, where deputies flooded the surrounding woods.
Residents reported cruisers lining the streets, helicopters slicing overhead, and deputies pushing through heavy brush with rifles raised.
Sheriff Robert Hardwick responded to the scene personally.
“I wasn’t worried about the van,” Bassa said. “I was worried about our safety. Thankfully nobody got hurt, and there were no weapons involved.”
Around 8 p.m., deputies announced Bowe had been located and arrested without further incident.
He now faces charges including felony fleeing and eluding, grand theft auto, resisting without violence, possession of marijuana, and several out-of-county warrants.
Bassa said he’s relieved his van — essential to his growing detailing business — wasn’t totaled in the chaos.
“It was just a regular day,” he said with a shaky laugh. “But you just never know.”
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