poppo
Doctors from Jackson Memorial Hospital released photos of Ronald Poppo, the 65-year-old homeless victim in the Miami attack over Memorial Day Weekend, on Tuesday showing the aftermath after Rudy Eugene allegedly chewed his face off. Jackson Memorial Hospital Hand

Two months after the Miami face-eating attack by alleged cannibal Rudy Eugene that took place over Memorial Day weekend which grabbed worldwide attention, the victim, Ronald Poppo, has finally spoken out.

Poppo detailed the attack that took place on the MacArthur Highway to police in a full statement released on Thursday, summing the harrowing event up: "He just ripped me to ribbons."

"He attacked me," Poppo told police. "He just ripped me to ribbons. He chewed up my face. He plucked out my eyes. Basically that's all there is to say about it."

"He mashed my face into the sidewalk," he continued. "My face is all bent and mashed up. My eyes, my eyes got plucked out. He was strangling me in wrestling holds at the same time he was plucking my eyes out."

Poppo, who was left blind and forced to undergo several surgeries after the attack, said he did nothing to prompt the attack by Eugene.

"What can provoke an attack of that type?" Poppo said. "I certainly didn't curse at the guy or say anything mean or nasty to him."

"For a very short amount of time I thought he was a good guy," Poppo continued. "But he just went and turned berserk. He apparently didn't have a good day at the Beach and he - he was coming back. And I guess he took it out, took it out on me or something. I don't know."

The only reason, Poppo could think up, was that Eugene was unable to "score" on Miami Beach.

"He didn't like the Beach," Poppo said. "He said he wasn't scoring there. He went to the Beach to score or something."

According to CBS Miami, the statements were filed on July 19 when Poppo was interviewed by Miami homicide Det. Sgt. Altarr Williams and Det. Frankie Sanchez. CBS Miami obtained the full statement from police, which you could read here or below.

Back in June, doctors from the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where he underwent surgery released photos of Poppo's face close up after the attack and after surgery. His face is covered in deep scabs with both of his eye sockets are covered, one with gauze and the other with a skin graft.

But Ronald Poppo is thankful, CBS Miami reported, because it could have been "worse."

"I thank the Miami Police Department for saving my life. That's about the best I could sum it up as. If they didn't get there in a nick of time, I would've definitely be in worse shape. Possibly I'll be DOA."

Read the full statement detailing the attack below.

Poppo Transcript