Eugene man, kicked out of Bend’s 2nd Street warming shelter, arrested in assault on another man
(Update: Jail staff identify suspect)
Police say he resisted arrest when found downtown, causing minor injuries to 2 officers, refused to give his name
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Eugene man who showed up at the Bend's Second Street warming shelter Saturday morning, asking for food, was soon kicked out for making offensive comments -- and shortly afterward, police said he followed and assaulted another man who had just left the shelter after an overnight stay.
The suspect was soon found downtown and arrested, but resisted arrest, causing minor injuries to two officers, police said. He refused to give his name and was taken to jail after a trip to the hospital for evaluation and treatment. Jail staff later determined he was a missing Eugene man.
A community member called Deschutes County 911 dispatch around 7 a.m. to report a fight in the middle of the road near Northeast Third Street and Dekalb Avenue, Lt. Adam Juhnke said in a news release.
The caller said a man with an unknown object in his hand was “beating up” another man, until the reporting person honked his car horn and the suspect walked off. He was described as in his 30s, with facial hair, wearing black and gray clothing.
The reporting person stayed with the victim, a 67-year-old Bend man, until police and Bend Fire medics arrived. The caller told dispatchers the victim said he knew the suspect from the warming shelter, a block away, because he’d been kicked out by staff minutes earlier.
Officers found the victim had sustained a significant facial injury and possibly other injuries. Bend Fire medics took the man to St. Charles Bend, where Juhnke said he was in stable condition, receiving treatment.
Other officers began searching the area to find the suspect. Around 7:30 a.m., a two-officer unit was in the area of Northwest Wall Street and Newport Avenue when they found a man believed to be the assault suspect.
He “physically resisted their attempts to arrest him,” Juhnke said, with both officers sustaining minor injuries during the arrest.
The suspect also was injured and refused to cooperate with Bend Fire medics, so a police officer escorted him inside the medic unit and he was taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Juhnke said the suspect refused to provide his name and date of birth, so when he was taken to the county jail around 10 a.m., he was lodged under the name John Doe until a positive ID could be made. He faces charges of second-degree assault, second-degree disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Jail staff later determined the suspect was a 35-year-old Eugene man who had been entered as a missing person by police there. Juhnke said officers in Bend also are “familiar with” the man, having had several contacts with him since December. He said the man had been giving police another name they were unable to confirm.
Officers confirmed the victim had stayed at the warming shelter overnight. The suspect arrived Saturday morning, “asking for food, etc.,” Juhnke said.
The victim had left, in good standing, about the time the suspect was kicked out for offensive comments to residents and/or staff. He allegedly then followed the victim and assaulted him about a block away.
“The Bend Police Department is thankful for the community member coming to the aid of the victim and calling 911,” the lieutenant said. They also are asking anyone else who witnessed the assault to call police through the non-emergency number, 541-693-6911.
