Miami cannibal attack

On May 26, 2012, a naked male assailant named Rudy Eugene attacked and gruesomely maimed homeless man Ronald Poppo underneath a tram bridge crossing the MacArthur Causeway in Miami, Florida, making headlines across the world. During the 18-minute filmed encounter Eugene erroneously and erratically accused Poppo of stealing his Bible, then beat him unconscious, removed Poppo's pants, and bit and chewed the flesh off most of his face above the beard (including his left eye). This rendered Poppo permanently blind in both eyes and grossly disfigured his face.^[1] Due to the incident's bizarrely grotesque nature and subsequent worldwide media coverage, Eugene came to be dubbed the "Miami Zombie" and the "Causeway Cannibal".^[2] The attack ended when Eugene was fatally shot by a Miami PD officer after failing to respond to commands instructing him to stop (he reportedly even snarled at police).

Although friends and family interviewed immediately afterward filled in details of Eugene's life, the reason for the attack remains unclear due to Eugene's death. Eugene, 31, was employed at a car wash at the time and was a divorced former high school football player with a series of petty criminal arrests from age 16 until most recently in 2009. Poppo, 65, a graduate of Manhattan's prestigious Stuyvesant High School, was homeless and had long been presumed dead by his estranged family. While police sources speculated that the use of a legal recreational synthetic stimulant party drug such as "bath salts" (which have a notorious reputation for the psychotic effects of the drug on some individuals) might have been a contributing factor,^[3] experts expressed doubt about this hypothesis, since toxicology reports were only able to identify cannabis/marijuana in Eugene's system, leaving the ultimate cause of his behavior unknown.^[4]

Attack

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On the morning of May 26, 2012, 31-year-old Rudy Eugene drove to Miami Beach, to Urban Beach Week.^[5] His Haitian-flag-draped purple Chevrolet Caprice became disabled along the way. After spending 30–40 minutes at the site, as filmed on security video in and around the car,^[5] he abandoned it about noon and began to cross the 3-mile-long (4.8 km) span of the MacArthur Causeway, stripping himself of his clothing and disposing of his driver’s license as he advanced westward, according to eyewitnesses.^[6] His vehicle was eventually discovered and towed by Miami Beach police. Inside the car, police discovered a Bible and five empty water bottles, which they believe were recently consumed.^[5]

Eugene—who eventually became completely naked, having discarded even his shoes and his Bible at the crime scene^[5]—encountered 65-year-old Ronald Poppo at approximately 1:55 pm. Poppo had been lying underneath the elevated Metromover people-mover viaduct when Eugene began to pummel him, strip him of his pants, and bite his face. The attack unfolded at the west end of the MacArthur Causeway, near the headquarters of The Miami Herald in the Omni neighborhood of Downtown Miami.^[7] It was at first believed that neither Eugene nor Poppo^[2] knew the other before their encounter, until a July 2012 publication revealed that Eugene had met Poppo while working for the homeless community of Miami.^[8] A passing cyclist, Larry Vega, came upon the scene and alerted authorities via 9-1-1.^[9] A few minutes later, Miami Police Department officer Jose Ramirez^[10] arrived and, after doing a double take at the spectacle,^[11] warned Eugene to desist from attacking Poppo. Eugene ignored the officer's warnings and, instead, reportedly growled at him, then resumed biting his victim.^[9] The attack ended at 2:13 pm with Officer Ramirez shooting Eugene once at first and then another four times when that proved ineffective. The ordeal had been captured by a security camera on The Miami Herald building.^[12] The surveillance video shows that the attack continued for 18 minutes before help arrived.^[11]

Aftermath

Poppo was admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition, with 75–80% of his face above the beard missing^[9][11] and his left eye gouged out.^[13] He underwent facial reconstruction surgeries that took months to complete, but he remained permanently disfigured and blind.^[14] To combat the costs, a fund was set up and has collected $100,700 since July 17, 2012.^[15] Poppo, who lost sight in both his eyes, spoke to police, whom he thanked for saving his life, on July 19, explaining that Eugene, whom he hardly knew, approached him in a friendly manner but then, complaining he couldn't "score" at the beach and "souped up on something", started to talk about how they were going to die, accused Poppo of stealing his Bible, and, suddenly and without provocation, attacked and strangled him with wrestling holds, and then "plucked out" both his eyes.^[16]

Poppo lost his eyebrows, his nose, parts of his forehead and cheek, and his left eye, and was left totally blind due to the damage to his remaining right eye.^[1] He underwent numerous surgeries to repair the damage to his face. After rehabilitation, he put on 50 pounds, and learned to dress and feed himself, shower and shave. He is being allowed to stay at the medical facility indefinitely.^[17]

As a result of media attention,^[18] the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a statement saying that the "CDC does not know of a virus or condition that would reanimate the dead (or one that would present zombie-like symptoms)."^[19]

Inconclusive investigation

Although the autopsy revealed no human flesh in Eugene's stomach, a number of undigested pills were discovered that have not been identified.^[20] Although police sources had speculated that the street drug "bath salts" might have been involved, preliminary toxicology reports were positive only for the presence of cannabis.^[5][21] Authorities have not necessarily found the negative results conclusive; Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti has expressed a belief that some new drug not yet tested for played a role; nationally noted toxicologist Barry Logan said Eugene's behavior was consistent with "bath salts" and that toxicologists "are not testing for everything that may be out there"; and the director of toxicology at the University of Florida, Dr. Bruce Goldberger, said, "We are not incompetent...We have the tools, we have the sophistication and know-how. But the field is evolving so rapidly it is hard for us to keep track. It's almost as if it is a race we can never win."^[22]

Perpetrator

Rudy Eugene (February 4, 1981^[26] – May 26, 2012)^[27] was born at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida.^[26] He was of Haitian descent through his immigrant parents who divorced months after his birth. Eugene never made contact with his father, who died when he was six.^[28] As a child he attended the Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church with his families on most Sundays.^[28] Eugene attended North Miami Beach High School in the 10th and 11th grades,^[29] and he played on its football team in the late 1990s.^[30][31] At the age of 17, he transferred to North Miami High School.^[32] After graduating, Eugene acquired money from such sources as selling CDs and jobs at McDonald’s and in telemarketing. His last recorded employment was washing cars at a local automobile dealership.^[33] Eugene had expressed interest in establishing his own mobile car wash business.^[33][34]

Eugene's marriage to Jenny Ductant, from 2005 to 2008, ended in divorce, with Ductant reporting that there had been domestic violence in the relationship. The divorce was granted on January 8, 2008. They had no children from their relationship.^[35] Eugene then became estranged from Ductant until his death.^[36][37]

Criminal history

Eugene had been arrested eight times since he was 16, with the first arrest being for an assault in 1997.^[35][38] On February 25, 2004, Eugene broke a table, smashed items around the house, and pushed his mother out of the kitchen. Afterward, Eugene's mother Ruth told officers that he had said, "I'll put a gun to your head and kill you." This crime led to his serving probation for resisting an officer without violence.^[39] The remaining charges were mainly related to marijuana, which he had expressed a desire to quit.^[40] His last arrest was in September 2009.^[29][30]

Victim

Ronald Edward Poppo (born May 17, 1947)^[6] was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. After achieving an IQ score of 129, he attended Manhattan's prestigious Stuyvesant High School, where he was a member of the Latin Club and worked in the guidance office.^[41] A former classmate reported that, after high school, Poppo enrolled at nearby City College but he dropped out in late 1966.^[42] Poppo would become homeless in early 1976.^[43]

On May 24, 2012, two days before the attack, workers from the Miami Homeless Assistance Program discovered him and offered him the services of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust. Poppo declined assistance, however.^[43]

At the time of the attack, Poppo's family—including his daughter Janice Poppo DiBello, who was born in 1968^[42]—had not heard from him in over 30 years.^[43] During that time, they assumed that Poppo was dead and suspected that he had killed himself.^[44] They were shocked to learn he was still alive at the time of the incident.^[41]

Poppo has completed treatment and was last residing in a Medicaid facility. He has received nutritional and occupational therapy and now plays guitar.^[45]

See also

• List of incidents of cannibalism

References

External links

• YouTube – Surveillance video
• North Miami Beach Police Department Incident/Investigation Report – Eugene's February 25, 2004, arrest
• Transcript of Ronald Poppo's 2012 July 19 police statement