A 32-year-old man is behind bars without bond after police say he beat an elderly Burlington employee, kicked him to the ground and then hurled a shopping cart at him inside the store. Ruben Bryant Curtis now faces a felony charge in connection with the attack; employees and customers were restraining him when officers arrived.
According to WESH 2 News, the confrontation began Tuesday night after the victim told Curtis to leave the store. Police say Curtis was showing signs of intoxication and inappropriate behavior at the time, and that he responded by pushing the employee to the ground, then kicking and striking him. The attack left the victim with lacerations on his right upper forehead and both elbows, the station reports, and police say Curtis threw a shopping cart at the man while he was still down on the ground.
Officers arrived to find Curtis already being restrained by employees and customers, the outlet notes, and he was handcuffed on scene. During the initial investigation, police reported detecting a strong odor of alcohol and described Curtis as extremely agitated, with an erratic demeanor, yelling and screaming repeatedly and shouting profanities at random people in the area. He appeared extremely intoxicated, according to the same account.
Felony Charge Tied to Victim's Age
Curtis was charged with battery on a person 65 years or older and is being held without bond, per the station's report. Florida Statute § 784.08 addresses battery against a person 65 or older as a misdemeanor, according to Flaherty & Merrifield.
The Altamonte Springs Police Department, which made the arrest and reported the allegations, serves as the city's primary municipal law enforcement agency and lists specialized assignments, including Investigations, per the City of Altamonte Springs.
A Busy Retail Corridor Under Redevelopment
The Burlington store is an anchor tenant at Marketplace at Altamonte, a retail power center near Interstate 4. The 335,995-square-foot center was acquired in January 2025 for $28.9 million by an entity tied to Centro Property Management LLC, and it was 55% occupied at the time of that sale as it undergoes redevelopment and re-tenanting, according to filings reviewed by Shopping Center Business. Hoodline previously reported when Wayfair announced plans to move into the same shopping center.
This is not the only recent violent incident Hoodline has reported on involving an Altamonte Springs business. Earlier this year the outlet covered a fight at a local Wawa over a $9 debt that landed two men in jail, and a separate case in which a man was accused of kidnapping and choking a woman during a 115 mph chase through the city.
Retail Workers Face Rising Risk Nationally
The case also lands amid a broader national pattern of violence against retail employees. Federal data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows 77,780 nonfatal workplace-violence injuries in 2024 that required days away from work, restricted duty, or job transfer; 54,230 cases specifically resulted in days away from work, according to IntelliSee. A separate workplace safety study published by the National Council on Compensation Insurance found that nonfatal workplace assaults grew at an average annual rate of 5.3% from 2011 to 2022, with physical hitting, kicking and beating accounting for nearly 93% of all reported workplace assaults.
The CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has found that retail-related workers accounted for 30% of all workplace homicide victims nationwide in 2020, underscoring how exposed frontline store employees can be even in incidents that do not turn fatal.
No additional charges have been announced beyond the battery count tied to the victim's age, and it remains unclear whether Curtis has been appointed defense representation ahead of further court proceedings. The condition and recovery status of the injured employee has not been detailed beyond the lacerations described by police.
