On Friday, authorities released video that could pass as a third Machete film. Armed men tried to rob a homeowner, but it didn’t work out after the victim fought back with a massive blade, said the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
This is a Florida story, of course.
Alen Beltran-Vazquez, Ronier Jauregui-Lorente, Angel Cabrera-Basulto, Jorge Valido-Leyva, and Roberto Salcedo-Balanza all face charges in connection to the Thursday morning incident.
Deputies say they got a call about a suspicious individual near a home. He reportedly had a rifle. They responded, but there wasn’t too much for them to do when they arrived. The homeowner, described in the SCSO press release as a “victim,” had already caught one and chased off the rest.
Surveillance footage from the home shows the victim and others lounging outside at about 4:46 a.m. The homeowner, an older man with gray hair and a blue shirt, immediately throws his chair at the armed robbers. Then he picks up a plank of wood and starts swinging it defensively at the masked perps.
One of the suspects is visibly armed with a shotgun. Deputies say the group was armed with that weapon, a machete, and crowbar.
The victim is chased off screen, but soon returns with a machete about as long as his torso. It’s a big ol’ blade. The robbers bolt.
Footage ends after one of the suspects is apprehended by the homeowner, and another male armed with a pole.
Deputies say this was Beltran-Vazquez. The victim told authorities two more suspects had already escaped, but investigators soon traced their car to a gas station. Four other men were inside, say authorities: Jauregui-Lorente, Cabrera-Basulto, Valido-Leyva, and Salcedo-Balanza. They wore dark clothes, and one of them had zip ties.
Beltran-Vazquez faces two counts of armed robbery, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Jauregui-Lorente and Cabrera-Basulto are both charged with two counts of robbery with a firearm. Valido-Leyva and Salcedo-Balanza both face two counts of principal to armed robbery. This investigation remains ongoing. More charges are possible.
They are being held without bond. An arraignment has been scheduled for July 21, according to records obtained by LawNewz.com.
[Surveillance footage screengrab via Sarasota County]