A patient accused of attacking and permanently blinding his roommate at South Florida State Hospital has been charged with aggravated battery, the Pembroke Pines Police Department said Sept. 24.
Police responded to a call at the Pembroke Pines, Fla.-based psychiatric hospital Sept. 22 regarding two patients whose verbal argument had turned physical. Both patients were at the hospital for a court-ordered stay.
Police said the suspect, Reinaldo Bermeosolo, 34, punched the victim and dragged him to the ground. While on the floor, Mr. Bermeosolo allegedly pulled both of the victim's eyes out of their sockets.
The victim was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla., for treatment. Nurses put the victim's eyes on ice and gave them to paramedics, but they could not be reattached and the victim is now permanently blind, according to an arrest report obtained by ABC affiliate WPLG.
Mr. Bermeosolo is being held without bond, and a criminal investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Editor's note: Becker's has reached out to South Florida State Hospital for comment and will update the article as more information becomes available.