NAPLES, Fla — Deputies arrested a man early Friday morning at an apartment complex in Naples and charged him with breaking into the community fitness center and barricading himself inside.
It happened at the Gulfshore Apartment Complex, located just off Pine Ridge Road.
In the incident report, a deputy with the Collier County Sherrif's office said he saw a large cloud of smoke coming from the clubhouse at the Gulfshore Apartment Complex. When deputies arrived they say they found the man barricaded inside, with damage to the facility, including a hole in the ceiling and yellow powder on the floor.
Deputies say the suspect, Joseph Amato, went back into the attic when the deputies got in.
According to the report, Amato refused to comply with orders, prompting a tense standoff. Police then deployed a non-lethal pepper ball gun in an attempt to remove him from the attic.
People who live nearby say they heard the commotion in the middle of the night.
"I got up at 1:30… 2 o'clock," one neighbor told Fox 4. He described the noise as similar to "a group of kids fighting in the gym," and said he could hear it from his bedroom.
Deputies say Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived at the scene and transported Amato to Physicians Regional Medical Center.
He was later read his rights and charged with five offenses, including burglary and criminal mischief. Amato had an active arrest warrant for failing to appear over a suspended driver's license.
