Rudy Eugene, the man who chewed off a homeless man’s face on the
MacArthur Causeway and was shot to death by Miami police, had no drugs
in his system other than marijuana, the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s
office said Wednesday afternoon.
There was widespread speculation
after the May 26 incident, parts of which were caught on video by a
Miami Herald security camera, that Eugene might have been high on
so-called “bath salts,” which have been blamed for psychotic behavior in
other cases around the country. “The department has ruled out the most common drugs found in ‘bath salts,’ a press release from the ME’s office said.
The toxicology testing “has identified the active components of
marijuana,” the release said. “The laboratory has tested for but not
detected any other street drugs, alcohol or prescription drugs, or any
adulterants found in street drugs. This includes cocaine, LSD,
amphetamines (Extasy, Meth and others), phencyclidine (PCP or Angel
Dust), heroin, oxycodone, Xanax, synthetic marijuana (Spice), and many
other similar compounds.”
The ME’s office said it sought the help
of an outside forensic toxicology lab, “which has confirmed the absence
of ‘bath salts,’ synthetic marijuana and LSD.” The ME’s office said that
“within the limits of current technology by both laboratories,”
marijuana was the only drug found in Eugene’s system.
Eugene’s victim, Ronald Poppo, is recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.
This story will be updated as more details become available.
