Pinellas County authorities have arrested and charged two employees of an assisted living facility after they were caught assaulting two residents on surveillance footage Sunday.
Rosa Edwards, 23, allegedly battered a male resident of Ivy Ridge Assisted Living Facility with a lanyard while laughing before taking the victim to the ground with the help of 19-year-old Aneisha Xitavia.
The second victim, a female resident, was in a wheelchair that fell during the assault. The employees left the two elderly victims laying on the ground and fled the scene, police said.
“The [male] resident was pushing an elderly female resident down the hall in her wheelchair. Deputies say Edwards began to whip the male resident with a lanyard while laughing when a physical altercation ensued,” the sheriff's office said.
“Edwards and Hall proceeded to grab the male resident and take him to the ground as he continued to hold on to the wheelchair, causing it to fall sideways with the female resident in it.”
The employees initially claimed that the man struck the female resident and denied any involvement before confessing to “using excessive force” on the residents.
