PALM COAST, Fla. – A 52-year-old Daytona Beach man was arrested after authorities say he violated a no-contact order, broke into his former partner’s Palm Coast home while armed and shot another man during a struggle over the firearm.
John Lyles was arrested Aug. 7 and faces multiple felony charges following the early-morning confrontation, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded shortly after 6:30 a.m. to a residence in Palm Coast’s F-Section after a woman called 911 to report that an intruder was actively forcing his way into her home.
During the emergency call, dispatchers could hear the confrontation escalating in the background. The woman reported that the intruder had a gun.
Dispatchers then heard a gunshot, according to the sheriff’s office. The woman told them that a man inside the residence had been shot in the hand.
She identified the intruder as Lyles, a former partner who had moved out of the residence days earlier.
Suspect Allegedly Fled in Mercedes After Shooting
Investigators said Lyles fled after the shooting in a white Mercedes SUV.
Major Case detectives responded to interview the victims while patrol deputies searched for the vehicle.
Detectives learned that Lyles was under a court order prohibiting him from contacting the woman following a previous domestic battery arrest in Volusia County. Authorities also determined that Lyles is a convicted felon and legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
A deputy later spotted the Mercedes traveling south on Interstate 95 and conducted a traffic stop.
Lyles was not inside.
The driver, who was the vehicle’s only occupant at the time of the stop, told investigators that Lyles was an acquaintance he had been with the previous night.
According to the sheriff’s office, the driver said Lyles had been intoxicated and he agreed to give him a ride to the Palm Coast residence.
The driver allegedly watched Lyles enter the home before hearing an argument and then a gunshot. Lyles ran back to the Mercedes, according to the driver’s account.
The driver told deputies he initially attempted to leave without Lyles, but Lyles jumped into the vehicle and ordered him to drive. The man said he complied because he was afraid and believed Lyles still had the firearm.
He later dropped Lyles off somewhere in Palm Coast but told deputies he could not remember the location.
Deputy Finds Suspect Walking Along Belle Terre Parkway
A short time later, another deputy located Lyles walking along Belle Terre Parkway near Barrister Lane and detained him.
During a search, authorities said the deputy discovered a bag containing cocaine in Lyles’ pocket.
Lyles was arrested on charges of burglary while armed with a firearm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, felony battery with prior convictions and possession of cocaine.
He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and is being held without bond.
“This dirtbag had already been ordered by a judge to have no contact with the victim and as a convicted felon he couldn’t legally possess a firearm,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Neither of those stopped him from breaking down the door, entering the house, and shooting someone before running off.”
Lyles Was Already Out on Bond
According to the sheriff’s office, Lyles has previous felony convictions that include sale of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of heroin, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and resisting an officer with violence.
At the time of the Palm Coast incident, Lyles was out on bond following a June 24 arrest in Volusia County and was subject to the no-contact order involving the woman.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said people experiencing domestic violence can contact its non-emergency line at 386-313-4911 or the Family Life Center at 386-437-3505.