Eugene man arrested after 70 mph reckless driving in west Eugene

A west Eugene patrol shift turned into a reckless-driving arrest after an officer heard tires screeching and saw a car blast south on Warren Street at an estimated 70 mph through a dark residential area with sharp curves. A person was walking on the sidewalk along the unlit road when the vehicle went by near Warren Street and Blackburn Street around 11:31 p.m. on June 16.

Eugene police said the officer was already responding to another call when he made the initial observation. He got into his patrol car to follow the vehicle but could not immediately find it, and another officer later picked up the search and located the car about 20 minutes later. Officers identified the vehicle as a Lexus GS350 and contacted the driver, 18-year-old Kaleb Robert Coleman.

Coleman was booked into the Lane County Jail on a reckless driving charge. He also received citations for driving while suspended and minor in possession of alcohol while operating a motor vehicle. Police said the car was impounded because Coleman was driving while suspended. The article did not report any injuries, but the combination of speed, a pedestrian on the sidewalk and a residential street with curves made the incident a clear danger to anyone nearby.

Under Oregon law, reckless driving means operating a vehicle in a way that endangers the safety of people or property. That standard fits a street scene like this one, where a driver moving at highway speed on a neighborhood road can turn a routine late-night call into a public-safety emergency in seconds.

The arrest also lands as Eugene police continue to emphasize traffic safety as one of the department’s primary focuses in 2026. The Eugene Police Traffic Safety Unit has recently announced targeted enforcement on Highway 99 aimed at speed, seatbelt and distracted-driving violations, and the department has said it is planning a multi-jurisdictional enforcement effort on June 25 to address vehicle and pedestrian safety issues along that corridor. For west Eugene, the Coleman case is another reminder that late-night speeding on residential streets can quickly become more than a traffic stop.