A Texas man entered the wrong home he thought was his and allegedly attacked his neighbor who he thought was an intruder.
According to the incident summary, the alleged incident occurred around 1:25 a.m. Monday in San Antonio after Eric Collazo entered an elderly man’s home using his house key, Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Media reports said the elderly man told the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office that he was going to the bathroom “when a tall man dressed in all black suddenly appeared” and began yelling and assaulting him, according to the report.
The old man was later taken to a hospital in stable condition but is recovering from “multiple injuries,” including three broken ribs, KSAT-TV reported.
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Authorities were able to link Collazo to the scene thanks to evidence that was found, including a “cell phone left in the bathroom,” according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
While speaking with Collazo, authorities also noticed a “strong odor of alcoholic beverages,” according to the outlet.
Collazo was taken into custody and charged with one count of battery on an elderly person causing bodily injury, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE.
He posted $10.00 bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 1. PEOPLE has reached out to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
Authorities also inspected the front door of the elderly man’s home and reportedly confirmed that Collazo’s key also worked in that lock.
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Image of a person opening a door with a key.
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“After deputies checked the suspect’s key to see if it could actually open the victim’s door, the key was indeed able to open the door. It is unknown how the key works at the victim’s residence, however, investigators believe the problem may be related to the residence’s builder,” he said is Johnny Garcia, public information officer for BCSO, to KSAT-TV.
The incident worried and confused the neighbors.
Neighbor Mark Ariaz told KSAT-TV the incident “astounds me” and called it an “unfortunate” situation.
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Neighborhood resident Patricia Montero told the outlet that “it’s very strange that someone can get into a house that has nothing to do with a key to their actual home.”
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