By now everyone has heard of the face-chewing “zombie attack” that happened last week alongside a Miami roadway. One homeless man actually chewed another’s face off. The grisly scene only ended when the attacker was shot dead by police.
Initial 911 calls indicate that people weren’t sure what was going on when they say 31-year old Rudy Eugene on top of 65-year old Ronald Poppo. It appeared the two were fighting. But according to reports, Eugene stripped naked and removed Poppo’s clothing before he began attacking him.
Poppo remains hospitalized in critical condition. Some news reports say he lost as much as 75% of his facial tissue in the attack. Eugene, however, is dead.
When police arrived at the scene, Eugene ignored them. It wasn’t until he was shot and began to lose consciousness that the attack stopped.
Since the story first went public, the attack was blamed on “bath salts,” a synthetic drug that was temporarily banned by the federal government last year. Now, however, after this report and reports from local emergency room doctors that this wasn’t the first incident of its kind, the government may have what it needs to gain support for an all-out ban of synthetic drugs.
According to US News and World Report:
Last week, the Senate passed a Food and Drug Administration bill that would ban many of the same chemicals. But so far, both houses haven’t been able to pass an identical bill. The hang ups have been deciding exactly which chemicals to ban, and determining if there should be “mandatory minimum” sentences for synthetic drug traffickers.
While these drugs may very well be very dangerous, there is hardly a zombie apocalypse going on. In the case of Rudy Eugene, he may have already had mental health issues. His ex-wife reported he had acted violently towards her in the past and others said he walked around looking lost and with a chip on his shoulder even when he wasn’t using.
But sensationalism and fear are great tools for politicians who want support for a sweeping law. And what a better sensationalist story than: “Bath salts turn people into cannibalistic zombies”?
In the meantime, bath salts are against the law, both in Florida and elsewhere. If you are caught with them, you will face legal penalties and those penalties may be harsher now that this latest story has broken.
Whenever you are charged with a drug offense, whether its cocaine possession or trafficking, you need someone on your side working to get you the best results possible. Contact our offices today to discuss the details of your case and how we might be able to help.