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Police Say Pair Beat Ex-Roommates

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TBO.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 30, 2008

TAMPA - Two Tampa men attacked a former roommate and forced their way into another former roommate's apartment and struck him with beer bottles Sunday night, Tampa police say.

Officers arrested 26-year-old Efrain Martinez-Hernandez and 23-year-old Emiliano Martinez-Hernandez.

The two drank beer and waited at Arbour Ponds apartments, 2901 N. Dale Mabry Highway, for Joaquin Cruz, one of the former roommates, to come home, police say. When he did, Efrain Martinez-Hernandez held down Cruz while Emiliano Martinez-Hernandez punched him in the face, an arrest affidavit states.

Later, the men saw another former roommate, Hugo Cruz, who tried running into his apartment. Efrain Martinez-Hernandez and Emiliano Martinez-Hernandez pushed their way inside, an arrest affidavit states.

They struck Cruz in the face with beer bottles, then dragged him outside and beat him up, the affidavit stated.

Efrain Martinez-Hernandez told police he wasn't involved.

Emiliano Martinez-Hernandez "changed his story several times," an arrest report states. He told officers that he was upset with Hugo Cruz over damages to his car. He said he and Efrain Martinez-Hernandez had been at the store together and walked near Hugo Cruz's apartment, but that nothing happened. He later said he was the one who got hit in the face.

Inside Hugo Cruz's apartment, officers found two smashed beer bottles. Hugo Cruz had a bloody nose and face but said he didn't want an ambulance, the arrest report states.

Efrain Martinez-Hernandez and Emiliano Martinez-Hernandez were charged with armed burglary, aggravated battery and misdemeanor battery and were in Orient Road Jail on Monday with no bail set. The report did not state whether any of the four were related.

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