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Only marijuana in Miami face-chewer’s system, tests show

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A Florida man shot and killed by police as he gnawed on a homeless man’s face had marijuana in his system -- but not other street drugs, prescription drugs or alcohol, according to toxicology reports released today.

The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office released the results of toxicology tests performed on Rudy Eugene, 31, after the bizarre May 26 attack that made headlines around the world.

Police still don’t have a motive for the unprovoked attack, a portion of which was captured on surveillance video. There had been widespread speculation that Eugene might have consumed “bath salts” -- the commonly used name for a relatively new and potent street drug.

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But the medical experts ruled out the most common components found in the street drug, according to the Associated Press. An outside forensic toxicology lab also confirmed the results, the news service reported.

The victim in the case, Ronald Poppo, 65, continues to recover from his gruesome injuries at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. He has undergone several surgeries.

Photos released to the media earlier this month underscored the severity of Poppo’s injuries. The lower part of Poppo’s face appears somewhat normal. He even sports a salt-and-pepper mustache.

But he suffered a great deal of damage from his forehead down to the mustache. He lost his left eye in the attack, and his right eye is so severely damaged that he might be left sightless, doctors told the media earlier this month.

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Join Rene Lynch on Google+ or Twitter. Email: rene.lynch@latimes.com

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