Teen ripped out relative's eyes with his bare hands, police say

Joel Shannon | USA TODAY

A 74-year-old man's eyes were gouged out during a Friday assault in Rochester, Minnesota, according to local media reports.

The victim was missing both eyes and multiple teeth when he was found by police, according to the PostBulletin. Mahad Aziz, an 18-year-old relative of the victim, was charged in connection with the assault, the publication reports.

Aziz used only his hands in the assault, the victim told police, reports KAAL TV. The victim's eyes have not been found.

"There are a lot of things that we don't know," Captain John Sherwin of the Rochester Police department told KTTC. The nature of the victim's injuries make it difficult to determine exactly what happened in the assault, he said.

Aziz was charged Monday with first-degree assault, according to the station. That's an unusual charge in the region because it requires the victim to have suffered a permanent, disabling injury, Sherwin told the station.

"You lose your eyes ... there's no replacement," Sherwin said.

Aziz was initially non-verbal and combative when police arrived at the scene, reports the PostBulletin. He was medically evaluated before being taken to jail.