Police in Arizona reportedly said they saw the victim’s eyeball dangling from its socket.
A man is recovering after a startling, “unprovoked” attack left him without an eye — and the alleged assailant with an aggravated assault charge.
An unnamed Arizona man was walking down a Phoenix street near a shop at the intersection of Broadway Avenue Road and 48th Street on Monday, April 14, at around 1 a.m. local time, according to reports from area outlets AZFamily, AZCentral and FOX 10 Phoenix.
According to court documents obtained by the outlets, the victim told police that he passed a man outside — later identified as 38-year-old Daniel Lanks — and asked him, “How are you doing?”
Lanks, who the outlets reported had just been released from jail in a separate case two days prior, then allegedly told the man that he would “whoop his a–.” Police wrote in court documents that the man kept walking, but Lanks came up to him from behind, stuck his fingers into the man’s right eye socket and pulled it out.
The victim then fell to the ground and Lanks allegedly punched him in the face several times, per court documents. The man immediately went home and his girlfriend called 911, and medical personnel discovered that he had fractured his jaw.
When police arrived at the man’s house, they asked him to remove a towel he was holding to his face — and they quickly realized that his eyeball was dangling from its socket, the outlets reported.
Later on April 14, at around 2 p.m., police found Lanks in the lobby of a health care office and he was arrested, per AZCentral. AZFamily reported that he allegedly told officers to “shut the f— up” and that he didn’t understand his Miranda rights.
Three days later, the victim identified Lanks in a photo lineup, AZFamily reported.
In the court documents, the victim told police that his life was dramatically altered by this assault.
“The victim stated this loss of the use of his right eye and fractured jaw will forever impact his quality of life and is unsure if he will be able to work again or perform many basic life functions,” court documents read, per FOX 10.
“The victim stated that during this incident he was in fear for his life and safety, believing that Daniel could have killed him and stated the attack was completely unprovoked, and he did not threaten Daniel, challenge him, and did not have any form of weapons to be perceived as a threat,” the documents continued.
According to FOX 10, Lanks was arrested in March on separate charges of aggravated assault and organized retail theft, and was released around one week ago on his own recognizance.
Lanks was taken to the Maricopa County jail and has been charged with felony aggravated assault. He is being held on a $500,000 cash bond.