Arrest made in bone-breaking attack on senior citizen riding the Metromover
A homeless man was arrested Monday night on charges stemming from Sunday’s beating that put a 73-year-old Metromover passenger in the hospital.
Robert Ribbs, 62, faces charges of aggravated battery, battery with great bodily harm, battery on a person 65 years of age or older, strong-arm robbery, cocaine possession and drug paraphernalia possession.
Sunday’s attack on Eduardo Miguel Fernández, who was riding the Metromover before dawn, was the fourth recent reported battery on the driverless train, which circles the Brickell area, the downtown Miami core and the arts district.
The arrest form says Fernández suffered a broken cheek bone, jaw and orbital bones from Ribbs’ punching and kicking him, before and after taking cash from Fernández’s wallet.
Amount of cash taken: $30.
Miami-Dade police say detectives saw Ribbs wearing the same clothes seen in the robbery, which was caught on surveillance video. The report says Ribbs claimed Fernández fired a racial slur at him.
Ribbs has done nine different turns in Florida prisons since 1977, the longest being in 1982 through 1997 for armed burglary, grand theft and kidnapping in Broward County. He earned his most recent time inside, 2015-2016, with grand theft, dealing in stolen property and lying to a pawnbroker.
This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 12:23 PM.
