Cops: ear lobe bitten off in brawl

Staff Reports

STAMFORD -- A man's ear lobe was bitten off and swallowed by his cousin during a drunken brawl over loud music on Stephen Street early Monday, police said.

Emilio Mendoza, 27, of 32 Stephen St., Stamford, was charged with first-degree assault, interfering with police, forgery and disorderly conduct. Mendoza is held on $100,000 bond.

Upon being released from Stamford Hospital, the injured man, Ruiz Clemente-Perez, 29, of 32 Stephen St., Stamford, was also charged with third-degree assault.

Police were called to Mendoza's apartment at 12:56 a.m. Monday for a fight between two roommates. When police got to the second-floor apartment, the rooms were in disarray with lots of blood in the area, Lt., Diedrich Hohn said.

"It was a pretty bloody scene," he said.

Clemente-Perez told police his cousin, Mendoza, began playing loud music sometime around midnight. When he told Mendoza to turn the music down, Mendoza began punching him in the head, Hohn said.

As the fight continued, Mendoza bit Clemente-Perez's left ear and tore off his ear lobe, Hohn said. Mendoza, who was intoxicated at the time, told police he swallowed the ear lobe, Sgt. Richard Barbagallo said.

Mendoza also said Clemente-Perez punched him first, Barbagallo said.

Clemente-Perez also sustained a broken nose and a fractured eye socket, Hohn said.

Mendoza, who showed police a fake identification when he was booked at police headquarters Monday morning, is to be arraigned Wednesday.