Jury finds man guilty in an unprovoked attack on Metromover in Miami

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Miami-Dade County jury found a man guilty on Wednesday of an unprovoked attack on Sept. 20, 2020, in Miami’s Metromover.

It was the second time Robert Ribbs, 62, the defendant, and Eduardo Fernandez, 74, the victim, waited for a jury to make a decision.

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.

Eduardo Fernandez, 74, testifies in court about when he was attacked on a Sunday morning in downtown Miami.

“The only thing I remember is that I was minding my own business, happy,” Fernandez said on Tuesday in Spanish in court.

Fernandez had testified in court before. Defense attorneys claimed Ribbs was not the attacker. Last month, jurors failed to reach a verdict after two days of deliberations. Judge Daryl Trawick issued a mistrial.


About the Authors:

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.