A 73-year-old man who was severely beaten during a home invasion robbery in Fort Lauderdale speaks about his ordeal.
A Fort Lauderdale senior Monday recalled the frightening moments a man broke into his apartment and attacked and beat him before stealing his property, including his car.
Fort Lauderdale Police said officers responded to the scene in the 2900 block of Banyan Street after receiving reports of a home invasion shortly before 10:30 p.m. Friday.
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WATCH HERENorman Sapp, 73, was outside his home for only one minute, but that was all it took for the man to break in.
"I came into my apartment, and I noticed the door was (unlocked)," Sapp said. "That’s where I made the mistake."
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Sapp has been living at the Leisure Beach South Apartments for 30 years. On Friday night, he was doing his routine of taking out the trash, when a man tried speaking to him and then went away.
“One of our neighbors came out, and when he was coming out, this guy darted in," he said.
Video surveillance provided by management shows a man entering the property and going in the elevator. Management told NBC6 it was to see a resident who has since been evicted, and minutes later, that man is seen walking to Sapp's apartment.
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Officials on Monday also released the audio of Sapp calling 911 after the attacks.
"(The suspect) went through everything and throwing everything all over the place, started beating me up," Sapp tells the dispatcher. "...He said he was gonna kill me."
“I went in, took a few steps, and this guy says, get on the floor and put your head down – and he started kicking and beating me," Sapp told NBC6.
Police said 48-year-old Joseph Soini is the man accused of leaving Sapp with a fractured jaw and bruised body after breaking into his apartment, attacking him, hitting him with a trophy, and strangling him.
“Then he said, 'ball up, I'm going to light you on fire,'" Sapp said. "And I said, come on, man, I don’t want to die."
Soini appears to be in one surveillance video leaving the property with Sapp's bike. Police said he also took off with $4,000 and Sapp's car.
Sapp had bruises and cuts all over his face as he spoke Monday.
"He kept kicking me in the head, (I) got some blood coming out of the ears," Sapp told the 911 dispatcher.
Officials found Soini a few hours after the incident in the car off North Federal Highway. He has a criminal history that dates back to the 90's, accused of doing similar criminal activity.
In this case, he’s charged with grand theft auto and possession of cocaine, and police said he may face more charges.
