Eugene police seek suspects in racially motivated assault near Willakenzie Road

Eugene police are searching for two men after what investigators described as an unprovoked assault on a Black man in his 40s near 2520 Willakenzie Road, a late-night attack that has heightened fears about safety and bias in northeast Eugene.

Officers were called at 11:43 p.m. April 15 and found the victim, who police said had been out on his regular walk when he was struck in the head. The city’s public notice says the man was called a racial slur without provocation. By the time officers arrived, the two suspects were gone.

Police described one suspect as a short, heavy-set man in his 20s to 30s with brown curly afro-style hair. He was last seen wearing a dark hoodie and a baseball hat. The second suspect was described as short and thin, wearing a multi-colored hoodie with dark pants and shoes. Eugene police are working to identify both men, and the public description suggests investigators believe witnesses or surveillance could still help close the gap.

The city treats the case as more than a routine assault because of the alleged racial slur. Eugene says hate and bias crimes can violate an entire group’s sense of safety and belonging, and its response materials note that such incidents can spread fear well beyond the person directly targeted. The city defines bias crimes broadly, including conduct motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and, in some municipal-court cases, unhoused status.

The attack comes as Oregon continues to track bias incidents closely. The Oregon Department of Justice and the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission reported that bias reports declined 7% statewide in 2024 after several years of increases, but race-based targeting remained the largest category, with 1,216 hotline reports. Reports involving Black, Indigenous and other people of color fell 16% last year, and reports involving gender non-conforming people dropped 34%. State officials also said hotline staff themselves were targeted in 244 bias incidents, up 165% from 2023.

Nationally, the FBI said law enforcement agencies reported 11,679 hate crime incidents involving 14,243 victims in 2024. In Eugene, the case will also unfold under the city’s oversight structure, which includes an independent Police Auditor, a seven-member Civilian Review Board and the Eugene Police Commission. Eugene police have used body-worn cameras since 2017.