A Louisville business owner is facing several charges after he allegedly helped kidnap and beat a man who he believed stole a box of vape cartridges from his convenience store in the Taylor-Berry neighborhood in October.
Kaushalkumar Patel, 40, was arrested Thursday and appeared in court Friday for charges including complicity to kidnapping, assault and wanton endangerment. His bond was set at $100,000, court records show.
The charges stem from an Oct. 6 incident in which a man allegedly stole the cartridges from the store in the 1100 block of Algonquin Parkway, according to court records. Shortly after the man left, Patel and others are accused of tracking him down in a van and pepper spraying him in the face before continuing to assault him.
The group then allegedly dragged the man into the van and took him him to a garage near the convenience store, where he claims he was beaten. He was later dropped off in the 1500 block of Lee Street, where his mother picked him up and drove him to the hospital.
Court records state he was in need of stitches in his right shin and suffered bruising and a concussion.
Louisville Metro Police took a report of the incident Oct. 7, roughly three months prior to Patel’s arrest, LMPD spokesperson John Bradley said.
Patel is in custody at the Louisville Metro Detention Center, inmate records show. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 24.
This story may be updated.
Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville man accused of beating, kidnapping shoplifter in October