MANATEE COUNTY, FL—Perhaps one day, criminals will realize that states like Florida are not good places to ply their trade. On Thursday, a bad guy learned that the hard way.
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, a man was shot and killed by a homeowner as he and an accomplice were trying to break into a home, Fox News Digital reports.
The now-former criminal, Jorge Nestevan Flores-Toledo, 23, was identified as the suspect who was shot to death. Flores-Toledo, a Mexican national whose immigration status wasn’t identified, was shot multiple times by the homeowner and later succumbed to his wounds at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The suspect also went by the name Anibal Miller-Valencia.
A second suspect, Michel Soto Mella, 39, an illegal alien from Chile, was charged with armed burglary, with additional charges pending, the sheriff’s office said. Law enforcement K9s tracked him down, and he was arrested a few blocks from the house.
At approximately 9:00 p.m. Thursday, December 26, the homeowner’s surveillance camera detected motion on the side of the home. He saw the two masked suspects, told his wife to find a safe place to hide, and retrieved his gun.
Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said the homeowner “knew something bad was about to happen, and he didn’t stall. He grabbed his firearm and told his wife to get into a safe spot,” Wells said.
Neighbors, meanwhile, heard what happened next.
“I sat down next to the lanai, the door was open. I vividly heard three gunshots,” neighbor John Nuceder, who was visiting a family member, said.
Wells said Soto-Mella is in the country illegally from Chile after his 90-day visa expired in September.
“We’re trying to get everything that we can from the [surviving] suspect,” Wells said. “He’s being somewhat cooperative, but he’s not telling us everything.”
Authorities are trying to ascertain Flores-Toledo’s background and are “seeking to understand” why the home was targeted.
During his initial court appearance, Soto-Mella used a translator and was ordered held pending a pre-trial detention hearing.
“I just want to say I never had any firearms,” Soto-Mella said through a translator.
“Sir, I don’t want you to talk about the facts of the case,” the judge shot back.
Fox 31 News reported Miller-Valencia (Flores-Toledo) had an active warrant for a parole violation and was considered armed and dangerous after being arrested in Oak Brook, Illinois, in 2023. He served four months in jail for a residential burglary and was released from jail in November of this year.
Wells had a warning in response to the homeowner’s self-defense of his home and family.
“This is the state of Florida,” he said. “If you want to break into someone’s home, you should expect to get shot.”
While the sheriff’s office didn’t respond to Fox News Digital's inquiries about the homeowner possibly facing charges, Wells’ statement seems to indicate that the sheriff’s office is not interested in pursuing charges. The homeowner’s identity has not been revealed.
