A homeless man was beaten and robbed by two other men, one of whom he knows from the homeless shelter. The attack took place at Bernstein Park on Stock Island Friday just after 6 p.m.
The victim told Deputy Boyd Williams a man he knows as “Mario” and another man he does not know jumped him and threw him to the ground. He said they kicked him and hit him numerous times. “Mario” then took his wallet from his pocket, took cash and credit cards from the wallet and demanded the PIN numbers for the cards. The two men continued to hit and kick him while demanding the PIN numbers. He gave them the numbers, they took his cell phone and his bicycle and left him lying on the ground. They told him not to call the police or they would kill him the next time they saw him.
The victim was taken to Lower Keys Hospital where he was treated for his injuries. Further investigation identified one of the suspects as 45 year old Mario Salazar, Jr. Deputy Williams was at the Sheriff’s Headquarters building Saturday morning when Salazar rode up to the homeless shelter on a bicycle. He was arrested and charged with robbery and he was booked into jail. Investigations continue into the identity of the second robbery suspect.