MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – With the help of an interpreter, a 74-year-old man was forced to relive a traumatic attack in public once again.
Eduardo Fernandez answered questions on Tuesday in Miami-Dade County court about how a 62-year-old homeless man attacked him without provocation on a Sunday morning in the Metromover.
Fernandez said he had never met Robert Ribbs before and didn’t interact with him while the two used the free people mover service on Sept. 20, 2020, in downtown Miami.
“The only thing I remember is that I was minding my own business, happy,” Fernandez said in Spanish in court.
Surveillance cameras recorded when Ribbs suddenly punched and kicked Fernandez, who didn’t have a chance to defend himself, police said. Fernandez was hospitalized with a head injury and bone fractures.
Officers arrested Ribbs on Sept. 22, 2020, and prosecutors charged him with aggravated battery, battery with great bodily harm, battery on a person 65 years of age or older, and strongarm robbery.
Fernandez had testified before in court. Last month, jurors failed to reach a verdict after two days of deliberations. Judge Daryl Trawick issued a mistrial.
Fernandez will have to continue his testimony on Wednesday in the case’s new trial. He and prosecutors hope the jury will reach a definitive verdict this time.