Victim of jailhouse assault arrested on new burglary charges in Fort Myers

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Fort Myers Police arrested a man accused of burglary on Monday.

According to the arrest report, officers were called to a bus stop on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard after reports of a burglary. When they arrived, the suspect, 40-year-old Brandt Diaz, was still on the scene.

Officers say Diaz told them that he came from the downtown area and was looking for work. He added that he was waiting for the bus to take him to a doctor's appointment, as he recently suffered an eye injury that required multiple surgeries.

Brandt was previously assaulted while detained in the Lee County jail on previous charges. He was severely beaten and has undergone multiple surgeries to repair his nose and jaw.

The victim, in a sworn statement given to officers, claims that they own a vacant lot across the street from their house. They say that they received a call from someone working on the property across the street, saying that an individual in a pink shirt was trying to steal items from his truck.

The man who called the victim sent them a photo of the suspect. The victim claimed in their statement that they noticed an electric scooter that belonged to them next to the suspect, who then walked toward Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

When the victim checked their front porch, the statement continues, the scooter and other items were gone. According to the victim, the items stolen from the porch are:

An electric scooter ($800)
A stereo radio ($100)
A lunch cooler ($30)
An ashtray ($30)
A black and green thermos ($200)
A backpack (value unknown)

Officers say that the victim identified Diaz from the picture of the suspect. After he was detained, officers say they found a radio, lunch cooler, ashtray, black and green thermos and black backpack on his person.

Diaz was charged with burglary and grand theft of $750 and less than $5,000.

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