‘We left him there dead’: Police say men slashed victim’s tires before Sanibel boat ramp attack

SANIBEL, Fla. — Three men are facing felony charges after Sanibel police said they planned an attack on a man at a boat ramp, slashed the tires on his truck and hid in bushes before attacking him with rocks.

Dayan Estrada De Armas, Roberto Antonio Estrada De Armas and Hansel Pompa Mauri are accused of attacking Yordanis Collazo Herrera at the Sanibel Boat Ramp on June 11.

According to arrest warrant affidavits, investigators said the three men arrived at the boat ramp in a white BMW and a black Ram pickup truck. Police said they found Herrera’s Ford F-150 in the parking lot and allegedly slashed its tires, leaving the truck disabled.

Investigators said the men then hid in bushes surrounding the parking lot and waited for Herrera to return. When he did, police said the three emerged from the bushes armed with rocks and surrounded him.

The allegations came as a shock to people who live and work on Sanibel.

“Absolute shock. It’s a very safe island,” Sanibel resident Mark Andrews said. “I’ve been here 24 years, and it’s a very rare occasion where physical violence is involved in the island whatsoever.”

Dick Jalkut, who has also lived on Sanibel for 24 years, had a similar reaction.

“Horrified,” Jalkut said. “Doesn’t happen like that on Sanibel ever. Very unusual. Hope it never happens again.”

Police said Herrera tried to run from the men, but Pompa Mauri allegedly tackled him from behind, forced him to the ground and held him down. Investigators said Dayan and Roberto Estrada De Armas then repeatedly struck Herrera with rocks in the face, head and body.

According to the affidavit, the attack left Herrera with deep lacerations and hematomas to his head and face, along with contusions, abrasions and scratches on his body. Police said Pompa Mauri also stomped on Collazo Herrera’s cellphone, destroying it.

Herrera was taken to Gulf Coast Medical Center for treatment.

Charley Ball, owner of Barefoot Charlie’s Painting, said he was stunned to learn about the allegations.

“I’m shocked. This is the first time I’ve heard it, and I know it’s a safe place, and that we’re not immune from different things,” Ball said. “But this really does shock me that it would even happen.”

Ball said Sanibel has changed over the decades but remains a place he considers home.

“I like to think of it as a small hometown,” Ball said. “We’re not all safe. Like to say, I wish we were.”

Police said all three men fled after the attack.

One witness told investigators that Dayan Estrada De Armas and Herrera had an “ongoing beef,” according to the affidavit. The witness did not see the attack itself but told police she saw the white vehicle traveling north on Causeway Boulevard afterward.

As the vehicle passed Herrera’s wife, who was still on the beach, the witness told police someone inside yelled, “We left him there dead.”

She also reported seeing several people inside the vehicle.

Five days after the attack, investigators met with Herrera and showed him three separate photo lineups.

Police said Herrera identified Dayan Estrada De Armas as one of the men who attacked him with a rock. He identified Roberto Antonio Estrada De Armas as another attacker who allegedly struck him with a rock and recorded or photographed him during the assault.

Collazo Herrera identified Pompa Mauri as the man who allegedly tackled him and held him on the ground.

Dayan Estrada De Armas and Roberto Antonio Estrada De Armas were arrested Sept. 10 by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Warrants Unit. Arrest reports say both men had outstanding felony warrants and were taken to the Lee County Jail without incident.

All three men are charged with conspiracy and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Dayan and Roberto Estrada De Armas remain in custody, with bond set at $12,500 each. Pompa Mauri has bonded out after his bond was set at $13,500.

All three are scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 12.

Despite the allegations, the residents WINK News spoke with said the attack does not change how they view the island.

“There aren’t many bad things, and so to hear something like that is pretty shocking,” Andrews said. “It truly is a very safe island.”

Jalkut echoed that sentiment when asked whether the attack would deter him from living on or visiting Sanibel.

“Never happens on Sanibel,” Jalkut said. “It’s once in a decade.”