In Case You Missed It of the Day

An unidentified homeless man is fighting for his life after his face was nearly eaten off by a naked attacker Saturday on a downtown highway ramp in Miami.

The attacker has been identified as Rudy Eugene, a 31-year-old homeless man. Some are speculating that he may have been high on LSD.

"He was ripping into his face with his teeth," said Miami resident Larry Vega, who witnessed the attack. "He was ripping his skin, his neck. He had him held down. The guy couldn't move really, and he was just tearing into his flesh. ... You see these things in the movies, but when you see it up front and up close, it's pretty traumatic. It really is."

When a police officer approached and told Eugene to get off his victim, Eugene just kept chewing. The officer fired a warning shot, but Eugene "just stood... with pieces of flesh in his mouth and he growled," Vega said.

The officer then shot and killed Eugene.

As for the unfortunate victim, "much of his face was gone, the skin ripped away, the nose bitten and the eyes gouged," according to the Miami Herald. He is in critical condition.

"We're hoping that he pulls through, for his well-being, but also so he can tell us what happened," said Sgt. Javier Ortiz, of the Miami police union. "Only he knows."

[nydn]