A man without a home shared the terrifying experience of having his eye gouged out by an assailant who viciously attacked him, grinding his face into the ground. The incident took place in Miami, Florida, where Rudy Eugene, 31, assaulted Ronald Poppo after stripping naked near a causeway and going into a frenzy. Eugene’s behavior quickly shifted, with witnesses noting odd speech patterns and sudden screams before the brutal assault began.

During the attack, Eugene strangled Poppo and gouged at his eyes, recounting to police that he felt provoked and retaliated by inflicting severe harm. Poppo described a brief moment when he believed Eugene was harmless before the assault turned violent, leaving him fearing for his life. Despite Poppo’s non-confrontational demeanor, Eugene continued the onslaught, leading to his eventual fatal confrontation with law enforcement.

Initial speculations suggested Eugene may have been influenced by potent street drugs like bath salts; however, toxicology tests revealed only the presence of marijuana in his system. Family members of Eugene expressed shock at his uncharacteristic behavior, vouching for his non-violent nature and denying any substance abuse apart from cannabis. Eugene’s girlfriend even suggested supernatural forces could be responsible for the attack, emphasizing that the violent behavior was out of character for him.

Following the incident, Poppo underwent extensive reconstructive surgeries to address his injuries, with a foundation established in his honor that successfully raised substantial funds to support his recovery.