Florida man shoots pool cleaner he mistook as intruder

A Florida man shot at his pool cleaner earlier this month, believing the cleaner was a home intruder, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.

Jana Hocevar reported being startled when she saw an unknown man on her pool deck in Dunedin around 9 p.m. on June 15. Her husband, Bradley Hocevar, yelled at the man, identified as Karl Polek, several times asking him to leave the premises as he retrieved a gun and Jana called 911, according to a report from the sheriff’s office.

Bradley fired toward Polek as Polek approached the door with a flashlight and continued to fire as Polek fled the scene, firing a total of 30 rounds in about 90 seconds. Polek was struck with shrapnel from a bullet and glass, sustaining minor injuries.

The Hocevars mistook Polek, who has cleaned their pool for about six months to a year, as a burglar, as he had never arrived so late in the evening to perform his duties, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during a press conference.

Gualtieri also noted that Polek, who was running late, did not call or knock on the door of the Hocevars before entering the pool premises.

Gualtieri called the incident “lawful but awful,” noting that Hocevar was “acting within the law when he fired.”