Miami police arrest a man accused of beating up an elderly neighbor at a Shenandoah bus stop

MIAMI – Miami police arrested a suspect Monday morning after he allegedly attacked his elderly neighbor at a Shenandoah bus stop, sending the victim to the hospital, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

According to MPD’s arrest report, 45-year-old Yendra Sanchez faces one count of aggravated battery against a person 65 years of age or older.

The incident occurred around 10 a.m. near the 900 block of Southwest 22nd Avenue., where police and emergency responders found an elderly victim, visibly injured and in distress.

Miami police said officers were dispatched to the scene after a 911 call was made reporting an attack on an elderly man.

Authorities said Miami Fire Rescue personnel were already on scene and treated the victim’s injuries upon arrival.

According to Sanchez’s arrest report, the victim had two lacerations to his forehead and a deep cut to his swollen lower lip. The fire department later transported him to HCA Florida Mercy Hospital for further treatment.

The report says the first witness to the attack told officers he was driving southbound on Southwest 22nd Avenue when he observed Sanchez repeatedly punching and kicking a defenseless elderly man who was sitting on a bus stop bench.

While trying to stop the attack, police said a witness got out of the vehicle and shouted at Sanchez, who immediately fled on foot south toward Southwest Ninth Street.

Authorities said that after Sanchez escaped, a witness called emergency services and provided police with a description of the suspect.

While officers were gathering additional information, Miami police found surveillance footage from a nearby business.

Detectives said CCTV footage showed an elderly man arriving at the bus stop and sitting down. According to investigators, a moment later Sanchez appeared on the screen and followed closely behind the victim.

Police said Sanchez, without provocation or warning, waved his right hand and struck the victim in the head with a closed fist. Authorities said the video continued to show Sanchez punching the victim in the face again, causing him to fall forward onto the bench.

The report said the attack escalated when Sanchez kicked the elderly man in the head before fleeing the area on foot. Police said Sanchez, who was wearing black sunglasses, a black T-shirt, black shorts and black sneakers with a white sole at the time of the incident, was easily identified on surveillance footage.

While conducting surveillance in a nearby parking lot, police said they spotted Sanchez walking west toward his apartment building near the 2200 block of Southwest Ninth Street.

Authorities confirmed he was still wearing the same outfit as seen on surveillance video. Officers said they quickly detained Sanchez before he could enter the apartment building.

After reviewing Sanchez’s Miranda rights in English, police noted that Sanchez waived his rights and agreed to make a statement, although details of his statement were redacted in the publicly released report.

During a subsequent conversation with the elderly victim at the hospital, the man described a disturbing encounter with Sanchez that had occurred earlier that morning.

He said that when he left their shared apartment building, Sanchez became anxious when he couldn’t enter the building, according to the report.

The victim testified that Sanchez kicked the door and yelled at him, but he ignored the outburst and kept walking. Authorities confirmed that the last thing he remembered was sitting at the bus stop and being unexpectedly hit by Sanchez.

Police have not released any information about the victim’s age or condition.

Jail records show Sanchez is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was scheduled to be set as of Tuesday afternoon.

Local 10 News requested surveillance footage of the alleged attack.