A Minneapolis Man Beats 75-year-old Man, Charged with First-degree Assault

A 23-year-old Minneapolis man was charged with first-degree assault in the beating of a 75-year-old man who had asked that the man and his friends keep their voices down on the bus, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday.

Leroy Davis-Miles was arrested Thursday and is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday. The victim is in critical condition with a serious brain injury and may not survive.

According to the criminal complaint, on Wednesday afternoon, the victim boarded a Metro Transit bus, as did Davis-Miles and his companions. During the ride, the bus surveillance video captured the victim asking the group to not be so loud. The young men become hostile towards the victim and threatened to beat him when he got off the bus.

When the older man got off the bus at the Chicago-Lake Transit Center, the group who threatened him also exited the bus. The complaint states that surveillance video and witnesses indicated that after walking parallel to the victim for a short distance, Davis-Miles walked up to him and punched him once. The victim fell backward and hit his head on the pavement.

Davis-Miles and one of his companions shook hands in a congratulatory manner and then several of them rummaged through the unconscious man’s pockets, according to the complaint. Police used facial recognition software to put a name to the person seen in the video. Once Davis-Miles was identified, a search warrant was obtained, he was arrested at his house and a jacket, pants and shoes were seized which matched those Davis-Miles was seen wearing on the video.

Davis Miles Criminal Complaint (PDF)