Suspects identified and charged in Eugene assault, racial slur case on Willakenzie Rd.

Eugene, Oregon – Police have identified and charged two suspects in connection with an assault on a Black man earlier this month in Eugene.

Eugene Police officers responded around 11:43 p.m. on April 15 to a report of an assault near 2520 Willakenzie Road. By the time officers arrived, the suspects had already fled the scene, according to an EPD press release.

According to EPD, the victim, a man in his 40s, was out for his regular walk when the suspects struck him in the head without provocation and directed a racial slur at him. Eugene Springfield Fire transported him to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Investigators said one suspect, 23-year-old Kody James Paz, has been arrested and charged with second-degree assault, third-degree assault, and first-degree bias crime.

A second suspect, a 13-year-old, faces charges of third-degree assault and first-degree bias crime. Authorities do not publicly identify juvenile suspects.

Police had earlier described the suspects as males wearing hooded sweatshirts—one in a dark hoodie and baseball cap, and the other in a multi-colored hoodie.