Victim Of Naked Face-Eating Attack Named

A homeless man who had most of his face bitten off by a male attacker in the US has been identified as a 65-year-old said to have been "in the wrong place at the wrong time".

Attacker Rudy Eugene - who was naked during the attack - devoured almost the entire face of Ronald Poppo on the side of a busy highway.

Police were called but witnesses said crazed Eugene, 31, continued to tear pieces from Mr Poppo's face even after being shot once.

His attack was brought to an end only when the officer shot him several more times.

Mr Poppo, who was beaten and stripped naked during the ordeal, remains in hospital and fighting for his life.

"He had his face eaten down to his goatee. The forehead was just bone. No nose, no mouth," said Sgt Armando Aguilar, president of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police.

"In my opinion, he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

It is not clear what led Eugene to attack Mr Poppo, who slept rough near the scene.

Police initially said the attack could have been provoked by an overdose of a powerful new form of LSD mixed along with "cocaine psychosis".

Other reports suggested Eugene was under the influence of the synthetic stimulant "bath salts" made with the active agent mephedrone, which produces an often aggressive reaction and intense hallucinations.

Sergeant Javier Ortiz, vice president of the Miami police union, said: "We're hoping that he (Mr Poppo) pulls through, for his well-being, but also so he can tell us what happened. Only he knows."

Court records show Eugene had a history of arrests, mostly on marijuana-related charges.

Friends and acquaintances told local media Eugene was easy-going and said they were unaware of him having any mental or drug problems.

But his ex-wife, Jenny Ductant, told WPLG-TV, he was paranoid. "I wouldn't say he had mental problem but he always felt like people was against him," she said.

"No one was for him, everyone was against him."

Police have asked for more witnesses to come forward as they await toxicology tests on Eugene's body.