MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The vicious attack of a 63-year-old man with a hammer in Miami Beach was caught on surveillance video, and the attacker is now behind bars.
It happened Sunday afternoon on Collins Avenue, near 75th Street.
Family members of Eugenio Torres say he had just bought some scratch-offs at a convenience store. Surveillance video shows a man in an orange sweatshirt first grabbing a bicycle and throwing it at Torres.
The suspect then grabbed a hammer and struck Torres repeatedly. A good Samaritan eventually forced the suspect across the street until police and paramedics arrived.
“His whole neck was full of blood, his face was full of blood,” Torres’ niece told Local 10. “I just can’t believe this guy did that to my uncle.”
Police arrested Jaime Salmon Vega, 34, of Miami Beach, who they say also snatched a gold chain valued at $600 off Torres’ neck.
According to an arrest report, Vega confessed to the attack but not the robbery.
Vega faces charges of robbery with an armed weapon and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Torres is recovering from his serious injuries, his family says.