Brevard deputies arrested Charles Reed Knight after a before-sunrise spree captured on home cameras, residents say.
MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — Home security video and witness accounts show a man with a hatchet and pitchfork storming a Merritt Island street before dawn Wednesday, smashing a porch camera and scuffling with neighbors until deputies arrived. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office arrested 42-year-old Charles Reed Knight and booked him on multiple counts, including armed burglary of a dwelling, criminal mischief and resisting an officer with violence.
The incident, which residents said began just before 6 a.m. on Jan. 28, jolted a quiet block awake and set off a debate over response times, bond decisions and how to prevent similar break-ins. Knight’s first court appearance was set for Thursday, Jan. 29, while prosecutors reviewed evidence from several homes and tallied damage to landscaping and fixtures. Neighbors said the street is usually calm, with retirees and early-shift workers moving around at sunrise, which is one reason the footage spread so quickly across group chats and social media.
In one clip shared among neighbors, a figure stands at a front door, lifts a hatchet and strikes a mounted camera until the lens drops. Inside, the homeowner, Laura Boles, said she had cracked the door after hearing noise on her porch. “I opened the door and there was a strange man in the corner of my porch with an ax,” Boles said. She said the man moved down the steps and onto the yard as she called 911. Across the street, residents pointed to torn sod and a cracked irrigation line. “He broke their water system,” Boles said. Farther along the block, a resident identified as Loc Vo said the man chased him “back and forth for three to four minutes” and struck him on the head as he tried to flee.
Booking information listed several counts against Knight: armed burglary of a dwelling, criminal mischief, battery, trespassing and resisting an officer with violence. Deputies also noted allegations that he tried to force entry and assaulted a person in the street. The sheriff’s office said he was being held without bond on the most serious counts pending a first appearance hearing. Investigators did not release a motive Wednesday night. Residents said they were not familiar with the suspect and could not immediately say why he targeted their block. Several told reporters the same man had been seen on camera minutes earlier on a nearby porch.
While the damage was measured in broken fixtures and toppled furniture, neighbors said the shock will linger. Merritt Island’s neighborhoods sit between the Indian and Banana rivers and tend to be quiet outside launch days and school traffic. Homeowners said they have dealt with small thefts and late-night knocks, but not a tool-wielding stranger marching up and down porches at daybreak. Residents walked the street Wednesday afternoon pointing out dented pillars, a smashed decorative chair and muddy bootprints on a sidewalk. One man said he slept lightly Thursday morning, listening for footsteps and the clack of metal on concrete.
Procedurally, deputies said the case would move next to prosecutors, who will decide whether to file the arrest affidavit as charged or amend counts once damage estimates are finalized. A judge at first appearance typically advises defendants of charges, sets bond and orders conditions such as no-contact or mental-health evaluations when appropriate. Neighbors said they planned to attend the hearing and speak during any victim input period once it is scheduled. The sheriff’s office said additional camera clips or witness statements can be added to the case file and forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office in Viera. If charges are filed as felonies, an arraignment date would follow.
On the block, people traded stories and checked on older residents. “We were terrorized by this man for a good 15 minutes,” one neighbor said, adding that her adult daughter watched the chase from a window. Another resident said his first thought was to alert a next-door neighbor not to open the door. A man rolling his trash bin said he saw a pitchfork left near a hedge after deputies cleared the street. By evening, someone had taped a temporary fix to a broken irrigation line. Porch lights stayed on a little longer. Dogs barked at small noises. The street felt different, neighbors said, even as routine crept back.
As of late Thursday morning, Knight remained in the Brevard County Jail pending first appearance. Deputies were still collecting video from several homes and expected to finalize reports by the end of the week, with prosecutors to announce charging decisions afterward.
Author note: Last updated January 29, 2026.