A Clearwater husband used a machete to protect his wife from an intruder Tuesday morning in an encounter that left the intruder dead.
The intruder, identified as Robert Alcade, 31, was pronounced dead at Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Before the attack occurred, Alcade’s neighbors reported that he was wandering his apartment complex saying someone was going to kill him, deputies said. A Clearwater police officer investigated but determined Alcade didn’t meet the criteria to be taken into custody under the state’s Baker Act.
About 2 a.m., Alcade broke into a home at 3063 Terrace View Lane in Clearwater, deputies said. He entered through a window.
A couple asleep inside woke to Alcade in the doorway of their bedroom.
Alcade acted erratically, wrecking the inside of the home and trying to climb the walls, deputies said. He told the couple he’d already called 911 because someone was trying to kill him.
At some point during the break-in, Alcade tackled the wife.
The husband armed himself with a rifle but it malfunctioned, deputies said. He took a machete from beneath his bed and began hacking at Alcade’s legs.
Deputies arrived and shocked Alcade about six times with a Taser, finally taking him into custody.
The couple was uninjured in the attack.
