Intoxicated Estero firefighter assaults Cape Coral man after mistaking vehicle for his own

An intoxicated confusion landed a local firefighter in jail. Police say he beat up a man after trying to get into the wrong car.

Estero Firefighter Roberto Medina, 50, was arrested in Cape Coral recently for assaulting a man over the age of 65.

According to the arrest report, on Aug. 12, police say Medina was intoxicated and saw a vehicle that looked like his in a neighbor’s driveway. When he couldn’t get into the vehicle, he started to bang on the car window.

The homeowner went outside with a metal bed frame leg in his hands to see what was happening. He asked Medina to leave his property, but the off-duty firefighter punched the man, knocking him down to the ground. This caused cuts to the homeowner’s face and his right arm.

This is when police say two witnesses traveling by the home saw Medina on the ground, choking the homeowner. The witnesses stopped and got out of their car to break up the firefighter and the neighbor.

Neither the neighbor or Medina accepted medical attention, but the neighbor filed a police report and said he wished to press charges.

Medina was taken to Lee County Jail and posted $2,500 bond night of the arrest. He is scheduled to appear in court in the Sept. 14.