What started out as a disturbance at the 7-11 across the street from The Whale on Fort Myers Beach resulted in one man being transported to the hospital after an altercation late Tuesday night. The names of both men involved in the incident were redacted from the LCSO report.
When LCSO deputies arrived, the victim, who’s believed to be an employee of the 7-11, said he was just involved in a physical altercation. The victim stated he was punched by a male subject. The victim did not provide any additional information about his assailant to the deputies.
Deputies did observe a large laceration to the left side of the victim’s face, with a substantial amount of blood seeping out. The victim repeatedly said he was only punched and no weapons were used. There had been social media posts that a knife was involved. Deputies checked the area and did not locate any weapons.
The victim said his assailant was throwing fireworks at him so he asked him to leave. The police report does not say if the fireworks were lit or dry. The victim stated the man would not leave so the two went to the back of the 7-11 and started fighting.
Lee County EMS arrived on scene and transported the victim to Lee Memorial Hospital due to the injuries sustained.
7-11 employee Paul Fontanez confirmed to deputies the story about fireworks being thrown at his fellow employee which was followed by arguing then a fight.
The LCSO report states that through investigative techniques, LCSO Deputy Williams was able to identify the suspect due to previous encounters. His name is redacted in the report. Everyone involved stated the man frequents the store several times a day and they know him by name.
Just a few hours earlier, Deputy Williams arrived at the 7-11 for unrelated reasons. The victim informed Williams about the male being a nuisance to the business. The victim explained was on the property throwing fireworks at the ground. Deputy Williams conducted a canvass of the property and did not observe any subjects matching description or anyone throwing fireworks. The victim stated to Deputy Williams “It is and I am going to beat his ass when you leave.” Deputy Williams advised the victim that was not a good idea and if the subject were to return to the property causing a disturbance he should call law enforcement.
The report did not say any arrests were made.
The victim verbally stated he wished to prosecute at the scene.
When asked to fill out a handwritten statement at the hospital the victim responded “No I want my lawyer.”