Eugene Police Arrest Suspects After Man-on-Car Incident Near Willamette High

Two Eugene men face criminal charges after a late-night confrontation near Willamette High School in which one rode atop a moving Toyota Camry and punched through the windshield while the other was behind the wheel, allegedly drunk.

Around 11:30 p.m. on March 7, Eugene Police dispatch received a call from Trevor Lee Willbanks, 26, who reported he was on top of a Toyota Camry traveling southbound on Echo Hollow Road. Simultaneously, the driver, Ryan Scott Beairsto, 27, called in to report that Willbanks was a suspect in strangling a woman.

Investigators later determined the sequence of events that led to that chaotic scene. Officers found probable cause that Willbanks had strangled a 28-year-old woman from behind while she was sitting in Beairsto's car. Beairsto had removed Willbanks from the vehicle and then attempted to drive away when Willbanks hopped on top of the car while it was moving and punched the windshield.

A third call to dispatch reported that Beairsto had braked, sending Willbanks off the roof and onto the ground. Beairsto then fled the scene and drove home.

When Eugene Police arrived, they found Willbanks injured in the street near the intersection of Dove Lane and Scandia Street. He was not cooperative with investigators and was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Officers later located Beairsto at his residence and arrested him on charges including driving under the influence, reckless driving, reckless endangering, and assault, according to EPD spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin.

On March 9, Beairsto was arraigned in Lane County Circuit Court on one count of DUII, fourth-degree assault, reckless driving, and recklessly endangering another person. Willbanks was issued a criminal citation for strangulation and second-degree disorderly conduct, McLaughlin said. He was not booked into custody; sources confirm only that he was transported to the hospital and cited.

The condition of the 28-year-old woman alleged to have been strangled has not been disclosed by police, and no bail or bond information for Beairsto was immediately available. The Eugene Police Department had not announced additional court dates as of the publication of this report.