He beat a man who uses a cane on the man’s birthday, cops say. The man is his father.
A Fort Lauderdale man was arrested early Sunday morning in Sebastian after a birthday celebration ended in violence.
According to a Sebastian police arrest affidavit, witnesses saw Ryan Downs, 31, repeatedly punch and kick his father, Roger Downs, who was celebrating his 64th birthday.
The elder Downs had a cane. The younger Downs had 6 feet 1 inch of height and 240 pounds of weight.
What began as a verbal argument in an Uber took a violent turn upon their arrival at JJ Manning’s Irish Pub. Ryan Downs reached from the back seat to first strike his father, the Uber driver told police.
The attack escalated once they exited the vehicle, witnesses said. Roger Downs collapsed to the ground, and witnesses say his son continued “kicking the victim in the stomach and chest.” Ryan Downs then fled to the rear of the bar, but not before whiffing on a punch at a bystander who had intervened to help Roger Downs.
When an officer arrived around 12:30 a.m., the report says, he found the senior Downs with a bloody elbow. His inebriated son expressed remorse but wouldn’t say more.
Ryan’s silence didn’t prevent him from being arrested, however, and slapped with a misdemeanor battery domestic violence charge. He was released on his own recognizance later Sunday.
This story was originally published June 25, 2019 at 5:20 PM.
