Eugene police identify and charge suspects in bias assault after update on April 15 attack

Eugene, OR – The Eugene Police Department has identified and charged two suspects in connection with a reported bias-motivated assault that occurred on April 15 in Eugene.

Police said officers initially responded at approximately 11:43 p.m. to a report of an assault near 2520 Willakenzie Road involving a Black male victim in his 40s.

According to investigators, the victim was on a routine walk when he was struck in the head and subjected to a racial slur without provocation. The suspects had already fled the scene before officers arrived.

The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment by Eugene Springfield Fire Department.

In an update released by police, officials confirmed that two suspects have since been identified and charged. A 23-year-old, identified as Kody James Paz, has been arrested and charged with Assault in the Second Degree, Assault in the Third Degree, and Bias Crime in the First Degree.

A second suspect, age 13, has also been charged with Assault in the Third Degree and Bias Crime in the First Degree.

Police noted that the suspects’ images were removed from public circulation after identification, citing that one of the individuals is a juvenile and that neither suspect is currently being sought.

In the initial public appeal, police had described one suspect as a male in his 20s to 30s wearing a dark hoodie and baseball hat, and another as a shorter, thin male wearing a multicolored hoodie with dark pants and shoes.