Springfield stabbing suspect arrested in Eugene after property dispute

Springfield police say a property dispute in southeast Springfield escalated into a stabbing that left one man with a serious chest wound and sent detectives chasing the suspect across Lane County. The victim has since been released from the hospital and is recovering after a wound that required 62 stitches.

Police first learned about the attack on May 3, when someone brought the victim to Riverbend Hospital with multiple stab wounds. Investigators traced the injury back to a fight in the 2800 block of El Toro Court, a neighborhood address that anchors the case in a part of Springfield many residents would recognize. After speaking with the victim and checking the scene, detectives identified 42-year-old Phillip Stiggins as the suspect.

The arrest came weeks later, on May 21, when detectives spotted a car tied to Stiggins traveling north on Interstate 5 from Cottage Grove. They followed the vehicle into the Eugene area and confirmed Stiggins was a passenger before making a traffic stop. Police said the arrest happened without incident, though detectives recovered a gun during the arrest.

According to Springfield police, Stiggins has a felony conviction and is prohibited from possessing a firearm. He was booked into the Lane County Jail on charges of assault, unlawful use of a weapon and being a felon with a gun.

The case underscores how a dispute in one Springfield neighborhood quickly spread into a broader law-enforcement search that ended in Eugene. Springfield police have also been installing 25 license plate-reading cameras throughout the city, part of the department’s growing tracking capability as officers follow vehicles across local roads and the interstate.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to call Springfield police at 541-726-3721.