The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMIAN fugitive who escaped from custody at the Carmichael Road Police Station was captured in Florida after a high-speed chase and will be handed over to Bahamian authorities once he has been dealt with by the United States justice system.

Suspected armed robber Tomal Bowe, 33, was arrested in St Johns County, Florida, following a pursuit that began when he allegedly fled a routine traffic stop.

Reports in Florida said Bowe has been charged with felony fleeing and eluding, grand theft auto, resisting without violence, possession of marijuana under 20 grams, and additional out-of-county warrants.

Police in The Bahamas told The Tribune yesterday that Bowe has a long-standing armed robbery case to answer when he is returned to this jurisdiction; they have not yet made contact with their US counterparts and do not know when he will be released into their custody.

According to the St Johns County Sheriff’s Office, deputies first tried to stop a vehicle when Bowe allegedly sped off, triggering a chase that only ended after officers used a PIT manoeuvre to disable the car.

He then allegedly ran from the disabled vehicle, stole a van from a nearby business complex, and drove into oncoming traffic on the I-95 before abandoning that vehicle as well and disappearing into a heavily wooded, marshy area.

Air and K-9 units were called in as part of a large-scale search, and Bowe was captured several hours later.

US authorities also revealed that Bowe entered the country on a legal visa. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is investigating whether he had a Bahamian criminal history at the time the visa was granted.

The Tribune reported in 2020 that Bowe escaped from custody at the Carmichael Road Police Station, where he was being questioned in connection with an armed robbery investigation. At the time, Chief Superintendent Bruce Arnett, then attached to the station, couldn’t provide details but said it was the first recorded escape from that facility.