Eugene arrest turns into hazmat scare after man drinks unknown liquid

A routine property pickup at the Eugene Police Evidence facility on April 30 turned into a medical and law-enforcement response when 45-year-old Tracy Justin Cooke allegedly drank from an unknown liquid while officers tried to arrest him on active warrants.

Police said employees at the evidence facility discovered Cooke had three outstanding warrants and called officers to the site. When officers contacted him around 3:25 p.m., he produced a small unmarked glass bottle containing a liquid that could not be identified at the scene. Officers ordered Cooke to put it down, but he refused and began drinking from the bottle, police said.

The struggle that followed forced officers to take Cooke to the ground. Some of the liquid spilled onto officers’ skin during the confrontation, adding a hazmat concern to what had started as a warrant arrest. Cooke reportedly told officers the liquid was a suicide mixture. Eugene Springfield Fire responded and transported him to a hospital for evaluation.

ESFD Hazmat later tested the substance and determined it was non-hazardous, and police said no officers were injured. Eugene Police assigned the case number 26-06451 to the incident.

The response showed how quickly a controlled setting can become an all-hands emergency when an unknown substance is involved. Eugene Springfield Fire, a shared service of Eugene and Springfield, handles emergency medical services along with rescue, fire suppression and other protection functions, which is why fire crews with hazmat capability were part of the response at the evidence facility.

The case also fits into Lane County’s broader arrest and custody process. Lane County Jail is the county’s only jail that can hold felony defendants, and in-custody arraignments are held at 11 a.m. for Eugene Municipal Court and 1:30 p.m. for Lane County Circuit Court.