Celedonio Cabrera has lived in fear since being knocked from his motorized wheelchair, beaten and robbed in the parking lot of his Liberty City apartment complex earlier this month.
He was resting easier -- but only a little -- after Miami-Dade police arrested the two teenage suspects Friday.
''My nerves are still shot,'' Cabrera said Saturday. ``I'm scared to go out.''
Police charged Royce Simmons, 17, of Allapattah, and Xavier Hyland, 13, of Brownsville, with strong-arm robbery and battery on an elderly person for the May 8 daytime incident, which was captured by surveillance video.
The 43-second clip shows Cabrera, 66, riding into a parking lot of Ward Tower, a 100-unit public assisted living facility for seniors at 2200 NW 54th St.
A teen comes up from behind Cabrera and tussles with him. He pulls Cabrera from the scooter, knocking him to the ground, and hits him as he tries to reach into Cabrera's pockets.
Cabrera tries to kick and hit the teen from the ground.
After the teen walks away, a second person with him runs up and scuffles with Cabrera. ''I defended myself,'' Cabrera said, speaking in Spanish. ``Now what I want is justice.''
The two took Cabrera's wallet and necklace, police said. Then they ran off, leaving Cabrera on the ground.
He suffered minor injuries -- and lost his already tenuous sense of security.
Three years ago, thieves robbed Cabrera at gunpoint in the same parking lot, he said. He has lived at Ward Towers for six years.
''That time it was easier,'' Cabrera said. ``I just handed over what I had. This time they grabbed me and beat me up.''
Cabrera, a retired truck driver, said he has suffered a stroke, two heart attacks and six surgeries in the past decade.
He and his wife hope to move to Hialeah, where he has taken part in a public housing lottery.
Said Cabrera: ``I've had too many problems here.''
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