It happened again. Rekindling a classic South Florida tale, another rampaging naked man with superhuman strength and a taste for flesh emerged last night.
The man, who hasn't been identified yet, attacked and seriously injured a retired police officer, severely bit into an 18-year-old man's face, and then was shot dead by Palm Beach County deputies after several Taser blasts didn't slow him.
"It was two unprovoked altercations by a naked black male running through the area, and the two victims were badly beaten," a sheriff's office spokesperson tells New Times this morning.
Indeed, the night began with nudity. At some point before 8:30 a.m., and for unknown reasons, the man stripped while loping along South Military Trail. He then came upon a 66-year-old retired police officer, the Palm Beach Post reports, and left him with serious injuries.
A hulk of a figure, the man stood taller than six-foot-three and weighed at least 250 pounds. He continued north on South Military Trail, west of downtown Delray Beach, where he discovered and proceeded to chase a man with his 10-year-old son.
"He's obviously delirious on something," Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. "He is a huge guy. He takes a fighting stance. They're trying to get him on the ground. He starts charging them. The Taser did not affect him."
An 18-year-old materialized on the scene, and the deranged man attacked him, biting into his face. The teenager brandished a box cutter, but it wasn't enough to take down his attacker.
A deluge of police cars arrived, and deputies shot the assailant with a Taser. It didn't faze him.
"The man then charged our deputy, and he discharged his firearm," the spokesperson tells New Times. "But he was not incapacitated. He was then Tased, but that also had no effect."
The next few bullets, however, did. He took once in the chest and another in the leg. He died after arriving at Delray Medical Center, authorities say, though it wasn't clear whether it was the gunshots or the drugs that ultimately killed him. Deputies say they suspect the man was on some sort of narcotic and haven't identified him yet.
All the victims were taken to Delray Medical Center with serious injuries.
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