Two teens arrested for assault on wheelchair-bound man

NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Miami-Dade Police have arrested two teenagers for the assault and robbery of a wheelchair-bound elderly man.

Police have charged 17-year-old Royce Simmons and 13-year-old Xavier Hyland with strong arm robbery and battery on an elderly person. They tracked the two down after they followed some investigative leads.

Surveillance video was released just a few days ago of the attack. It showed a disabled man entering a parking lot when two young men took turns beating and robbing him while he was down.

Police said, on May 8, in the middle of the afternoon, cameras rolled as 66-year-old Celedono Carrera rode his motorized wheelchair through the parking lot of his apartment complex, an assisted living facility, and a young man ran up behind him. "He threw me from the wheelchair, and I fell to the floor. I punched him here, and I busted his lip, and I began fighting with him," said Carrera, a retired truck driver who has had several strokes and a heart attack.

The first young man punched and kicked Carrera multiple times before another assailant showed up right after. Police said the two robbers got away with his chain and wallet.

Carrera sustained minor injuries to his arm and back. He believes the men targeted him after he visited a friend at the University of Miami hospital and followed him on the Metrorail back to his home in the Ward Towers on Northwest 53rd Street. He said it's not uncommon that thugs take advantage of residents. "They're there watching the elderly and those who are handicap to rob them," said Carrera, speaking through a translator.

On the day of the arrests, Carrera was playing dominoes with other residents at the assisted living facility. He said he had mixed feelings about the arrest of the subjects that stole not only his possessions but also his sense of security. "I feel so-so," he said. "I want to get out of here. I have been assaulted twice already. This is not the first time or the second. They're going to kill me in here, and now that they've caught them I have to be more careful."

The grandmother of the 17-year-old suspect could not believe her grandson would commit such an act. "I don't know that he would do anything like that," said Stella Thomas. "I hope not. I don't know. That's all I can say."

Channel 7 could not reach the family of the 13-year-old for comment.

Police are still asking for any information on this assault and robbery. Call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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