A Cape Coral man was held at gunpoint after police say he forced his way into a neighbour's home with a handgun and threatened the residents on Thursday.
According to the Cape Coral Police Department arrest report, officers responded late Thursday night to a home on Southeast 4th Place after a report of an armed burglary.
When they arrived, they said found the suspect, Joseph William Loftus, 41, still inside the home and being held at gunpoint by the homeowner. Police detained Loftus without further incident.
The investigation revealed that Loftus had knocked on the door of the home, which was just one block from his own home.
When the victim began opening the door, Loftus, while armed, pushed his way inside, the report states.
He then forced the victim to lock the door, sat on the living room couch, and claimed that people were after him.
Two more residents came from their bedrooms, and one of them grabbed a firearm and ordered Loftus to drop his weapon. He complied.
None of the residents knew Loftus, and no one was injured during the encounter.
After Loftus was taken into custody, he told officers that he had been in an altercation at his own home down the street.
Police searched his home and found it flooded with water from a bullet that struck a water pipe. They also found several firearms and spent shell casings.
A later search uncovered seven shell casings and several bullet holes in the walls.
Police reviewed security camera footage from nearby homes and stated that they did not see anyone else come or go from Loftus' home.
Loftus faces charges of armed burglary, false imprisonment, battery, discharging a firearm in a residential area, and firing into a dwelling. He was booked into the Lee County Jail.
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