(Image from ABC Action News’ YouTube page.)
Tampa | Peter Reeber was brutally ambushed after leaving Bradley’s on 7th on June 30, leaving him with a concussion, broken nose and a loss of hearing—and now he’s speaking out, urging others to use caution in the area.
According to Reeber, a pharmacist who lives in South Tampa, he was ambushed and robbed following a night out with his friends at the Ybor hotspot. He had left the venue by himself. “No wallet, no phone, no watch, no necklace and no shoes,” Reeber told his local ABC affiliate, still recovering from bruises, scrapes and blackened eyes.“They took everything.”
Police reportedly pointed out that Reeber’s scrapes would indicate he was dragged across pavement, something Reeber himself echoed. He told the affiliate that he was hit in the back of the head, with bruises to support the notion, and that his attackers are “taking advantage of vulnerable people.”
Reeber had previously attended Balance Tampa Bay’s Masquerade Ball at the Ritz Ybor that evening, and told his local NBC affiliate that he’d left around midnight—waking up in an alley not far from the Ritz hours later.
“They’re cowards. They’re doing it behind your back,” the pharmacist said. “I think that they drag you and put you in an alley so that no one can see you and they just leave you there.”
Two similar attacks were reported in Ybor on August 13. Investigators reportedly don’t believe the attacks are connected, and according to Tampa’s NBC affiliate, the city has no plans to increase its police presence in the district.
Reeber urged patrons to learn from his experience and not to leave the area alone. “I would just say, safety in numbers,” he said. “Go down there and always have someone with you. Even if it’s just walking to your car.”
