MOBILE, Ala. — A 39-year-old Prichard man was arrested Tuesday and charged in connection with a downtown Mobile assault on an older man at Dauphin and Broad streets, and police say he may also be responsible for a second attack on a 70-year-old man outside the city’s main library the same afternoon.
Kenneth O’Neal Riggins Jr. was booked into Mobile County Metro Jail at 11:05 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, on a charge of second-degree elder abuse and neglect, according to jail records. Mobile Public Safety Manager Blake Brown confirmed the arrest and said additional charges are forthcoming.
Riggins was scheduled for a bond hearing Wednesday, Oct. 21. The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office is also seeking to have his probation revoked in an unrelated assault case in which he pleaded guilty earlier this year, court records show.
Riggins has not been convicted in connection with Sunday’s attacks. Like anyone charged with a crime, he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Two attacks in downtown Mobile on Sunday afternoon
The Mobile Police Department said both assaults happened Sunday afternoon, Oct. 18, in the downtown area, and investigators believe the same person was responsible for both.
“At this time, we believe the same subject is responsible for both incidents,” the department said in a news release.
One attack happened near the intersection of Broad and Dauphin streets a little before 3 p.m. Police said the victim, a man in his early 60s, told officers a man he did not know approached him, cut him multiple times and ran off. Witnesses described the man as being blindsided; one witness said the victim was wearing earbuds when he was struck and knocked to the ground. Police have also described both older men as having been punched in the head, and said one of the two victims was taken to a hospital.
The other attack happened near the intersection of Government Street and Washington Avenue, outside the Ben May Main Library. A 70-year-old man told police he was leaving the library when someone hit him in the head and ran off.
Accounts have differed on the order of the two attacks. The department’s initial release listed the library assault first, while police later said the Government Street attack happened not long after the one at Broad and Dauphin. The 70-year-old victim also said he believes the man first attacked someone at Broad and Dauphin streets and then ran toward the library.
The intersections are a short distance apart in Mobile’s urban core. Dauphin Street is the city’s best-known downtown corridor, lined with restaurants, bars and shops, while the Ben May Main Library sits on Government Street at Washington Avenue, part of the Mobile Public Library system.
Victim describes being struck from behind
Tony Matranga, 70, said he was getting on his electric bicycle near the Ben May Main Library on South Washington Avenue when he was hit from behind without warning.
“All of a sudden, something just bashed me on the back of the head. I didn’t know what it was,” Matranga said.
Matranga said his thoughts were with the other victim, who he said was hurt much more seriously.
“I certainly do feel for the man who was much more severely hurt than me, and I’m angry at the fact that somebody would do something like that,” he said.
He said it angers him that someone would attack people at random, and that the outcome could have been far worse.
“That could have killed somebody. It didn’t kill me, but it could have killed someone else. Somebody who was maybe more frail,” Matranga said.
One witness described the attack at Broad and Dauphin streets in a social media post as traumatic and “the most disgusting event.” Another witness said she had seen Riggins in the area before, mumbling to himself.
Witness video helped police identify suspect
John Daring witnessed the attack on Broad Street and recorded video of the suspect running away along Dauphin Street. Police said the video helped investigators identify Riggins.
“When he looked at me, and I had it on camera, I decided to go ahead and bail because he was very menacing,” Daring said.
On Monday, Oct. 19, the Mobile Police Department released images of the man it was seeking and asked the public for help identifying and locating him. Riggins was taken into custody the next day.
Police in Mobile and elsewhere often turn to the public in cases like this one, sharing surveillance images, bystander video or photos on social media and through news releases. Tips from residents who recognize a suspect frequently help investigators make an arrest more quickly than they otherwise could.
Prior assault case and probation
Sunday’s attacks are not the first time Riggins has been accused of assaulting someone.
On Aug. 8, 2025, he was arrested and charged with second-degree assault after authorities said he attacked a co-worker at a McDonald’s restaurant on Dauphin Island Parkway. According to the complaint in that case, Riggins struck the 51-year-old woman in the face multiple times, breaking her right orbital bone and fracturing her nose and jaw. A grand jury indictment in the case file states he was charged with hitting the woman in the head and causing multiple fractures.
Mobile County Circuit Court records show Riggins pleaded guilty to second-degree assault on Aug. 3, 2026. Circuit Judge Jay York sentenced him to 143 months, or nearly 12 years, under a split sentence. Riggins was credited with the time he had already served, the balance of the sentence was suspended, and he was placed on three years of probation. He was released from Metro Jail that day after spending nearly a year there awaiting resolution of the case. Court filings in that case listed him as homeless.
Court and jail records show Riggins has an arrest history dating back to 2008, including prior arrests on charges of assault, resisting arrest, robbery and domestic violence, among others.
Because Riggins was on probation when he was arrested this week, prosecutors have asked the court to revoke that probation. If a judge revokes it, Riggins could be ordered to serve some or all of the suspended portion of his sentence in the earlier case.
Understanding the charge and the court process
Alabama’s elder abuse law, enacted as part of the Protecting Alabama’s Elders Act, created specific criminal offenses for abusing or neglecting older adults. The law sets out first-, second- and third-degree versions of the offense, with the degree generally depending on the severity of the harm and the circumstances. Elder abuse and neglect in the second degree is a felony.
A bond hearing is typically one of the first court appearances after an arrest. At the hearing, a judge considers whether a defendant should be released before trial and, if so, under what conditions. Factors can include the seriousness of the charge, the defendant’s criminal history, whether the person poses a danger to the community and whether the person is likely to return to court. In Alabama, prosecutors may also ask a judge to hold certain defendants without bond under the state’s pretrial detention law.
A probation revocation hearing is a separate proceeding. In that hearing, a judge decides whether a person violated the terms of probation. The standard of proof is lower than in a criminal trial, and a judge can revoke probation without a new conviction.
Any new criminal case would move forward on its own track. Felony charges in Alabama are generally presented to a grand jury, which decides whether there is enough evidence to issue an indictment. If indicted, a defendant is arraigned in circuit court, where the case can be resolved by a plea agreement, dismissal or trial.
What happens next
Brown said more charges are expected against Riggins. Police have said they believe he may be responsible for the assault near Government Street and Washington Avenue, and additional charges related to that attack or the one at Broad and Dauphin streets could be filed as the investigation continues.
Riggins remains in custody at Mobile County Metro Jail. The outcome of Wednesday’s bond hearing and the district attorney’s request to revoke his probation will determine whether he stays in jail while the cases proceed.
Anyone who saw either attack or has information about them is asked to contact the Mobile Police Department. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Mobile County Crime Stoppers at 251-208-7211.
Victims of violent crime in Alabama may be eligible for help through the Alabama Crime Victims’ Compensation Commission, a state agency that can assist eligible victims with costs such as medical bills and counseling that result from a crime. The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office also has victim service staff who help victims understand and follow the court process as a case moves forward.
