Miami Police have so far disclosed few details about the incident, in which Rudy Eugene was shot dead by a police officer. But an eyewitness who was riding his bike nearby told WSVN he flagged down a police officer after coming across Eugene, stark naked, chewing off Ronald Poppo’s face.
Surveillance video shows the attack went on for around 18 minutes before help arrived.
“The guy was, like, tearing him to pieces with his mouth, so I told him, ‘Get off!'” said Larry Vega. “The guy just kept eating the other guy away, like, ripping his skin.”
But Vega said when the police officer yelled at Eugene to back away, the naked man merely raised his head “with pieces of flesh in his mouth,” growled, and began chewing again. The officer then shot Eugene once, and when Eugene continued to attack Poppo’s face, shot him multiple times until he was dead.

Investigators suspect that Eugene may have been suffering from a drug-induced psychosis, possibly prompted by an LSD-like new drug called “bath salts.”
Sold under the guise of “incense” the synthetic powder is sold legally online and in drug paraphernalia stores under a variety of names, such as “Ivory Wave,” “Purple Wave,” “Red Dove,” “Blue Silk,” “Zoom,” “Bloom,” “Cloud Nine,” “Ocean Snow,” “Lunar Wave,” “Vanilla Sky,” “White Lightning,” “Scarface,” and “Hurricane Charlie.” Because these products are relatively new to the drug abuse scene, our knowledge about their precise chemical composition and short- and long-term effects is limited, yet the information we do have is worrisome and warrants a proactive stance to understand and minimize any potential dangers to the health of the public.
Cassandra Metayer, who went to middle and high school with Eugene and whose cousin was once married to him, said the attack wasn’t consistent with his personality.
“This type of behavior is very unexpected,” she told the Herald. “He was a good person, a true friend. He was a nice, outgoing ready-to-help-anybody kind of guy.. I’m not just saying that; he really was that person.”  (read more)