BRADENTON BEACH – It was a terrifying ordeal for Louise Augustin and her three young children after a drive to Coquina Beach quickly turned into an armed carjacking.
The mother and her three children were sitting in her car when a man armed with a knife approached the vehicle and demanded the keys.
The suspect, later identified as Bradenton resident Steven Lewter, 43, got in the car with his belongings while waving a knife, according to the police report. He attempted to drive away but realized that Augustin didn’t have the car keys, which were with her husband, who had already left the car. The three children were still in the back seat, causing the victim to fear for her family’s life. According to the victim’s statement to Bradenton Beach police, she began screaming and the suspect took off running.
Further down the road, Lewter approached a second victim, Zachary Peel, as he was sitting alone in his car on Coquina Beach. Lewter allegedly pointed his knife at Peel and said, “This is a carjacking” while trying to pull the vehicle’s door open. According to police, Peel got out of the car and prepared to defend himself at which time Lewter swung the knife at him, cutting Peel’s finger in the process. Peel was able to subdue Lewter until officers arrived and took him into custody. The cut on Peel’s hand was minor and didn’t require medical attention.
According to Bradenton Beach Det. Sgt. Lenard Diaz, the suspect appeared to be intoxicated at the time of his arrest and was upset about going through a break-up with his girlfriend.
“We’re really not sure what the motivation was to steal the car, where he was going to go with it, or anything like that,” said Diaz.
Lewter has an extensive criminal record and was on probation at the time of the crime, according to police. Because of the severity of the crimes and the probation violations, he is being held at the Manatee County Jail without bond pending his trial. Lewter has been charged with two counts of aggravated battery, assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and two counts of carjacking with a weapon. His trial is set for Oct. 25 with Judge Frederick Mercurio presiding.
Diaz said this was the first carjacking since a man jacked a Corvette about five years ago, crashing it moments later on the Longboat drawbridge. While incidents such as these are rare on Anna Maria Island, police remind everyone to be aware of their surroundings and remember that anywhere a great number of relaxed tourists are present, there is always the possibility of criminals taking advantage of people letting their guard down.
