2 men arrested after being accused of beating a man they claim is a repeat burglar, police say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Police say two men have been arrested and charged after being accused of beating a man they claim is a repeat burglar.

Rodolfo Ramirez, 46, and Joel Ramirez, 43, were charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for the Wednesday morning attack on a 42-year-old homeless man.

According to court documents, the suspects saw the man standing next to a vehicle outside their home on Luell Street in North Houston just after 4 a.m. and claimed he was responsible for a series of vehicle burglaries.

Police say one of the men began beating the victim with a metal bat while the other pistol-whipped him.

"Every time they hit him, he was hollering and they were talking in Spanish," Willie Gaines, who witnessed part of the attack, said.

A Spanish-speaking witness told Eyewitness News that the victim was pleading with his attackers and quoted him as saying, "I won't do it again. I promise."

"Way I look at it, he got what he had coming," Gaines said.

Police told Eyewitness News they've taken no reports of vehicle burglaries at the suspects' home within the last six months, and the victim was never charged with a crime.

Nevertheless, neighbors Eyewitness News spoke with off-camera say they sympathize with the suspects.

"You don't steal from people. If you borrow something from people, you bring it back. You don't take it," Gaines said.

Eyewitness News has been unable to reach the suspects or the victim in this case for their accounts of what happened.

Earlier this week, the Houston Police Department urged people not to confront suspected thieves and to call authorities instead.

SEE ALSO: HPD asks people not to confront theft suspects as tens of thousands of cases remain unsolved

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