Manatee Sheriff: Homeless man charged with punching, robbing another man

A homeless man was charged with punching and robbing another homeless man who had collected money from others at a homeless camp to buy dinner, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Lamar D. Fields, 35, was arrested at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the 1300 block of 27th Avenue West in Bradenton. According to a release, Fields and the victim live in a homeless camp located on the block. Deputies regularly are called to the camp to quell disturbances,. according to the report.

Deputies said the victim was taking up a collection Tuesday from camp residents to buy food for their dinner. The victim collected money and began walking to the store , according to the sheriff’s office. As the victim was leaving the camp, deputies said he was confronted by Fields who was armed with a knife.

According to the release, Fields punched the victim so hard he lost consciousness. When the victim came to, the money and Fields were gone.

Booking information for Fields was not immediately available.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Manatee Sheriff: Homeless man charged with punching, robbing another man."