Second Man Sought In Beating, Robbery Of Keys Homeless Man
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KEY WEST (CBSMiami) - Sheriff's deputies in the lower Keys are trying to track down a second man who beat and robbed a homeless man in Bernstein Park on Stock Island.
The man said he met up with the two men, one who he knew as "Mario," at the park around 6 p.m. on Friday. He said he had seen Mario at the homeless shelter in Key West.
The man said he and Mario had done some work at Robbie's Marina to earn some cash. He added that while he is normally discreet about how much money he carries on him he let it slip that he had a couple of hundred dollars.
When "Mario" and the second man demanded the cash, the sheriff's office said the victim refused and they attacked him. They threw him to the ground and kicked and hit him numerous times.
"Mario" then removed the man's wallet from his pocket, took cash and credit cards then demanded the PIN numbers for the cards. The two men continued to hit and kick him while demanding the PIN numbers.
The man said he eventually gave them the numbers. Mario and the second man then 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 injured man victim was taken to Lower Keys Hospital. Sheriff's deputies identified "Mario" as 45 year old Mario Salazar, Jr. He was taken into custody Saturday morning when he 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.
