Robber shoots self in home Akron home invasion

A man accused of robbing this Akron home shot himself during a fight with a resident.

(Adam Ferrise, Northeast Ohio Media Group)

AKRON, Ohio — An Akron resident fought off a New York City man who tried to rob his girlfriend's home, court records say.

Angel P. Martinez, 30, of New York, is charged with first-degree felony aggravated burglary in Akron Municipal Court. A warrant was issued Monday for Martinez's arrest.

A 60-year-old man told police that he was at his girlfriend's home about 9 a.m. Saturday in the 1000 block of Forbes Avenue when he heard two people talking outside.

The man opened the door and the two men forced their way into the home. One of the men, later identified as Martinez, displayed a gun and the three fought, according to police reports.

The 60-year-old and Martinez fell down the basement stairs during the scuffle. Martinez's gun fired during the fall, according to police. The 60-year-old man was not injured.

Martinez, however, was shot twice — once in the stomach and once in the right bicep, court records say.

Akron police found Martinez seeking treatment for the gunshot wounds at Akron City Hospital. Officials will transfer Martinez to jail once he recovers.

The man's girlfriend told police she was asleep in an upstairs bedroom and didn't see or hear the fight. Another woman inside the home told police she heard the gunshots but never saw the fighting.

A woman who was home at the time of the incident said in an interview she had no idea why anyone would try to break into her home.

"We wish we knew; we're still trying to find out," she said. "Everyone in the house is okay, we're just shaken up."

A neighbor who lives across the street, Ashley Tucker, 26, said she was shocked when a family member told her what happened.

"It's crazy," she said. "Sometimes my cousin goes over there. We never have anything happen like this on our little street."