>> FROM YOUR CAPE CORAL NEWS TEAM. A TERRIFYING WAKE-UP CALL. POLICE SAY THE BROTHERS ON YOUR SCREEN STORMED INTO A HOME AND PISTOL WHIPPED A MAN IN HIS OWN BEDROOM. POLICE CAUGHT UP TO THE MEN ALONG THE SKY, A PARKWAY AND SOUTH EAST, 20TH STREET JUST OFF DEL PRADO BOULEVARD, GULF COAST MUSIAL, PART OF MUHAMMAD UP. THEY’LL CALL WE IS THERE WITH HOW IT ALL STARTED MONDAY. >> KELLY KICK KICK OR POLICE TOLD US THAT THIS MAN WAS SLEEPING. IT’S PEOPLE WALKED INTO HIS HOME, THREATENED TO KILL HIM, A PISTOL, WHAT THEM? AND THEY EVEN BROUGHT THEM. BUT POLICE TRACKED DOWN THE SUSPECTS RIGHT HERE AT THIS BUSY CAPE CORAL PARKWAY. IT’S SPOOKY BECAUSE IT’S SO CLOSE TO HOME. NOLAN ZELL SAYS THAT BECAUSE CAKE OR POLICE ARRESTED 2 PEOPLE YESTERDAY RIGHT NEAR HER HOME ON SOUTH EAST. 20TH ALL THE TRAFFIC THAT GOES UP AND DOWN AND THEN FOR >> COPS TO BE ALL OVER THE PLACE. AND NOW IT’S LIKE, OK, MAYBE I WANT THAT WAY ANYMORE. POLICE ARRESTED BROTHER STEPHEN RYAN, PALMER AKINS AFTER THEY BROKE INTO A MAN’S HOME IN NORTHWEST CAPE YESTERDAY MORNING. POLICE SAY THE MAN WAS SLEEPING BUT WAS PISTOL-WHIPPED. THEY STOLE ITEMS AND THREATENED TO KILL HIM. RIGHT INSIDE IS BETTER. A POLICE REPORT WE GOT SAYS A WOMAN MET PALMER A FEW DAYS AGO AND THAT THE VICTIM OWED HER MONEY. SHE SAID PALMER TOLD HER HE WOULD, QUOTE, TAKE CARE OF IT. SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT. HE HAD ALL OF OUR RESOURCES COMBINED TOGETHER TO BE ABLE TO GET IT DONE. POLICE SAY THE VICTIMS CAMERAS AT HIS HOME CAUGHT THE DUAL TAKING OFF IN A DARK BLUE. PONTIAC. THE REPORT SAYS A LICENSE PLATE READER CAUGHT THE CAR NEAR THE VICTIM’S HOME HOURS LATER AFTER A TRAFFIC STOP ON THE SCALE PARKWAY AND SOUTHEAST, 28 COURT STOP THE CRIMINALS TO HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES THAT WILL USE. AND WE WERE PRETTY QUICKLY ABLE TO LOCATE THE SUSPECTS, WHICH IS WHY WE WERE ABLE TO DO THE TRAFFIC STOP AND HAVE SOMETHING PLANNED. >> NOW THE SUSPECTS, STEVEN RYAN TOLD POLICE THAT HE DIDN’T HAVE A GUN BUT LATER CHANGED HIS STORY SAYING HE BOUGHT
Two brothers arrested after violent northwest Cape Coral home invasion, police say
Updated: 7:32 PM EDT May 22, 2026
Cape Coral police arrested two brothers, Steven Ryan and Palmer Aikens, after they allegedly broke into a man’s home in northwest Cape Coral early yesterday morning, assaulted him, and threatened to kill him. Police said the victim was sleeping when the suspects entered his bedroom, pistol-whipped him, stole items, and made threats against his life. Milva Gonsil, a resident near the arrest site on SE 20th Court, shared her concerns about the incident. “It’s spooky because it’s so close to home,” Gonsil said. She added, “All the traffic that goes up and down, and then for cops to be all over the place, you know, it’s like, okay, maybe I won’t walk that way anymore.” According to a police report, a woman who met Palmer Aikens a few days ago said the victim owed her money. She told police that Aikens said he would “take care of it,” though she did not understand what he meant. Mercedes Simonds of the Cape Coral Police Department said, “We had all of our resources combined together to be able to get it done.” The victim’s home security cameras captured the suspects leaving in a dark blue Pontiac. A license plate reader later identified the car near the victim’s home, leading police to conduct a traffic stop hours later at the intersection of Viscaya Parkway and SE 20th Court. Simonds explained the department’s approach to locating the suspects. “We have a lot of different investigative techniques that we’ll use. And we were pretty quickly able to locate these suspects, which is why we were able to do the traffic stop and have something planned,” Simonds said. During questioning, Steven Ryan initially denied having a gun but later changed his story, saying he might have brought a fake one.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.
CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
Cape Coral police arrested two brothers, Steven Ryan and Palmer Aikens, after they allegedly broke into a man’s home in northwest Cape Coral early yesterday morning, assaulted him, and threatened to kill him.
Police said the victim was sleeping when the suspects entered his bedroom, pistol-whipped him, stole items, and made threats against his life.
Milva Gonsil, a resident near the arrest site on SE 20th Court, shared her concerns about the incident.
“It’s spooky because it’s so close to home,” Gonsil said.
She added, “All the traffic that goes up and down, and then for cops to be all over the place, you know, it’s like, okay, maybe I won’t walk that way anymore.”
According to a police report, a woman who met Palmer Aikens a few days ago said the victim owed her money. She told police that Aikens said he would “take care of it,” though she did not understand what he meant.
Mercedes Simonds of the Cape Coral Police Department said, “We had all of our resources combined together to be able to get it done.”
The victim’s home security cameras captured the suspects leaving in a dark blue Pontiac. A license plate reader later identified the car near the victim’s home, leading police to conduct a traffic stop hours later at the intersection of Viscaya Parkway and SE 20th Court.
Simonds explained the department’s approach to locating the suspects.
“We have a lot of different investigative techniques that we’ll use. And we were pretty quickly able to locate these suspects, which is why we were able to do the traffic stop and have something planned,” Simonds said.
During questioning, Steven Ryan initially denied having a gun but later changed his story, saying he might have brought a fake one.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.