A burglary call at an Orange County, Florida, business ended with the arrests of not only the suspects who allegedly broke in, but the owner of the bicycle shop and two others, as well.
The culprits have accused the shop owner of torturing them for hours before calling 911.
The pair said owner Robert Antley made them strip down to their underwear, beat them and held them at gunpoint for more than two hours.
According to the arrest affidavit, Jose Gonzalez, 27, and Michael Eller, 28, admitted to deputies that they broke into the Gas Bikes Shop early Sunday morning.
Once inside, they were confronted by Antley, who was allegedly waiting for them with a gun.
According to the report, Antley told deputies that he had been sleeping inside the store due to several prior burglaries. Instead of calling 911 to report the break-in, Eller and Gonzalez told deputies Antley made the two men strip down to their underwear and face a wall. The report said the burglars told deputies Antley jabbed the gun into both men’s sides and threatened to kill them.
Eller told deputies that at least an hour passed before Antley’s brother, Joshua, 24, and his girlfriend, Kathryn Pellicio, showed up.
Eller and Gonzalez said they were then led to a bathroom in the back of the store where they were beaten for more than an hour.
Antley claimed his cellphone battery was dead and claimed the men had cut his phone wires at the shop, the report said.
Antley told deputies he called 911 when his brother arrived, but deputies said they were not able to corroborate his statements.
WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said property owners have a right to protect themselves.
“You are allowed to engage in conduct that is reasonable, necessary and lawful to protect yourself or your property, but one may argue that these efforts were neither reasonable nor lawful,” Sheaffer said.
Antley bonded out of jail Monday afternoon. His brother and his girlfriend remain jailed.
Eller and Gonzalez remain in the Orange County Jail.
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