Bartow man arrested for hitting victim with car, firing gun during argument | FOX 35 Orlando
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Bartow man arrested for hitting victim with car, firing gun during argument

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Published  April 27, 2025 1:48pm EDT
Polk County
FOX 35 Orlando

The Brief

    • A Bartow man was arrested after allegedly hitting another man with a car, pointing a gun at him, and firing a shot into the air during an argument, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. 
    • Christopher Kayon Mathis, 54, faces multiple felony charges and is accused of targeting the victim over an alleged theft.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Bartow man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly hitting another man with a car and firing a gun during an altercation Tuesday afternoon, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.

What we know:

Deputies responded to Warfield Drive in Bartow around 3:17 p.m. after receiving a report of aggravated battery. The victim told investigators that Christopher Kayon Mathis, 54, intentionally struck him with a 2004 Buick Century before getting out of the vehicle, pointing a firearm at him, and threatening to kill him.

Authorities said Mathis fired one shot into the air before fleeing the scene, leaving behind a single slide sandal.

Deputies later found Mathis at a residence on Kathy Road, still wearing only one sandal. Mathis allegedly admitted to the attack, telling deputies he intended only to scare the victim, whom he accused of theft. He said he discarded the firearm in a nearby wooded area.

According to the sheriff’s office, Mathis has prior convictions including possession of cocaine, tampering with evidence, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting without violence, and lewd assault in the presence of a child. He is also a registered sex offender.

Mathis was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail on multiple charges, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, use and display of a firearm during the commission of a felony, improper exhibition of a firearm, discharging a firearm in a residential area, tampering with physical evidence, and culpable negligence.

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The Source: The information in this article comes from the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Polk CountyCrime and Public Safety