Florida Man Throws Coffee, Punches 76-Year-Old Who Made Him Wait: Police

Newsweek ^ | 05/31/2022 | Joseph Golder

[simpson96]

man who threw a cup of hot coffee over a 76-year-old man making him wait to pay in a store is facing assault charges after punching the older man, sending him to the ground, police say.

Security camera footage of the attack in a Shell gas station in Palm Coast, Florida, shows the grey-haired victim at the checkout, with the suspect, later identified as Sean Ruel, 39, standing in line behind him.

Ruel can be seen waiting to be served while the 76-year-old man is being seen to by the cashier.

After a few seconds, the suspect can be seen apparently losing his temper at having to wait and he throws his cup of coffee toward the victim, where it lands at the man's feet, catching his attention.

The suspect then leaves the gas station, with his victim eventually following him outside to confront him, but security camera footage shows he barely manages a word before Ruel races up to him and knocks him down with a punch to the jaw. The blow to the victim sent him flying and left him sprawled on the ground as the footage ends.(snip)

The Flagler County Sheriff's Office later identified the suspect as Ruel, who was arrested the next day and accused of battery of a senior over 65.

[Nifster]

Brave looking punk

[Brass Lamp]

Since absolutely no one on this thread has posted anything to indicate that they have either watched the video or correctly interpreted what was shown, the situation is this: A old coot is being a difficult customer and knowingly holding up a line while productive people who have things to do are waiting in line, probably on their way to taxable jobs which provide the payroll revenues which keep useless Boomers swimming in unearned gravy. Normal-looking guy has normal reaction and DROPS unpurchased item because the cashier won't ask troublemaker to step aside for just a moment to wait on valuable customers. Old guy makes bid for the Oscar and rolls out his drama-bitch routine, but then makes the mistake of charging outside and challenging his "attacker". This is something Baby Boomers do because manhood, as they understand it, is all show and no go (words before deeds with them), and his promptly gets into the first fight he's ever been in. Being a product of his generation, he lost...in one second.

[Damifino]

I used to live in Palm Coast. There are a ton of early retired or “disabled” ex-cops/firefighters from the North-East there.

[CodeToad]

He’s probably one of those yankee transplants.

[Mom MD]

Of course in you diatribe against boomers you fail to mention “normal looking guy” has multiple prior arrests including 3 DUIs. Model productive citizen there

[Brass Lamp]

Of course in you diatribe against boomers you fail to mention “normal looking guy” has multiple prior arrests including 3 DUIs. Model productive citizen there

DUIs are ticketable traffic violations, get a grip.

[Chainmail]

Good to hear your side, Ruel - but throwing a tantrum and throwing a cup of coffee was stupid and juvenile and older man only spoke the you when you conducted an assault on him.

Enjoy your felony conviction and your new friends in prison.

[Brass Lamp]

Good to hear your side, Ruel - but throwing a tantrum and throwing a cup of coffee was stupid and juvenile and older man only spoke the you when you conducted an assault on him. Enjoy your felony conviction and your new friends in prison.

Well, I'm hundreds of miles from lower-Lower Manhattan (Florida), so it ain't me. But again, YOU DIDN'T WATCH THE VIDEO or else you'd know that Ruel didn't throw coffee. You're repeating crap. And I promise you, that old guy wouldn't have tried instigating if he'd known he wasn't going to get away with it. He though he had "Old Cool" powers that scriptwriters give DeNiro characters in the sort of navel grazing movies he likes.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I live down here. What you said is all true. People from up north should avoid this area. Bad Juju all around.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Could be. He assaulted an elderly person, just like that elderly #FloridaMan just did in The Villages.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I don’t know that the elderly man being an a-hole at the counter will be considered a mitigating factor in sentencing this guy for assault on an elderly person.

[Chainmail]

He did throw the coffee at that guy’s feet and stomped out of the store. The older man didn’t run after him - he finished his transaction and walked out and said something - so Ruel (who, I guess, wasn’t you ) think’s it’s perfectly OK to run at him and hit him without warning.

Open and shut felonious assault and deserves serious prison time.

Yes, I did watch the video- did you?

[Brass Lamp]

I don’t know that the elderly man being an a-hole at the counter will be considered a mitigating factor in sentencing this guy for assault on an elderly person.

His anti-social behavior in the store will positively affect the defense. His flamboyant, over-wrought gesturing suggests that he was worked-up and had physical intentions prior to the confrontation. HE charged out and confronted the coffee-dropper, who'd just walked away from him. If elder people weren't continually reassured that they have "elderly person" legal armor, they wouldn't try to act bullet proof.

[Brass Lamp]

If someone thinks that Joe Pesci characters are cool or realistic, and they try to act like a Joe Pesci character brought to life, they're going to get what coming to them.

[Chainmail]

So your whole point is that “seniors shouldn’t act like Joe Pesci?”

You need serious help, dude.

[Jamestown1630]

I guess the bad juju keeps the riff-raff out...:-)