A Saturday evening in Eugene turned frightening for several people after police say a man drove through a west Eugene neighborhood, pointed a gun at multiple drivers and was connected to reports of gunshots in the area.
According to the Eugene Police Department, the incident unfolded around 7:30 p.m. on August 29, when a 911 caller reported hearing a single gunshot near East 16th Avenue and Quaker Street.
As officers were responding, another caller just a few blocks away reported an even more concerning encounter. Police say a man driving a silver Subaru pointed a firearm at the caller and his passenger as they were arriving home.
Then came another 911 call.
A third person reported hearing two gunshots before seeing what appeared to be the same silver Subaru sitting in the middle of the street in front of their home. According to EPD, the Subaru eventually began slowly driving away, and the caller got into their own vehicle and followed it for several blocks.
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When the caller drove past the Subaru after it stopped again in the roadway, police say the Subaru's driver pointed a gun at him.
A nearby witness was able to provide officers with the Subaru's license plate number, giving police what they needed to locate the vehicle near West 11th Avenue and Acorn Street.
Officers conducted what EPD described as a high-risk traffic stop and boxed the Subaru in.
Police identified the driver as 42-year-old Eugene resident Christopher Carl Herrera.
According to EPD, Herrera initially followed officers' commands but then repeatedly began reaching back inside the vehicle despite being told to keep his hands outside the window.
Officers ultimately fired a less-lethal munition, striking Herrera in the forearm. Police say he then placed both hands back inside the Subaru, prompting officers to deploy pepper balls into the vehicle.
Herrera eventually got out and was taken into custody.
Police said Herrera smelled strongly of alcohol and had slurred speech. According to EPD, he admitted to consuming a dozen alcoholic beverages.
Herrera was lodged in the Lane County Jail on charges of unlawful use of a weapon, three counts of menacing and DUII.
For people who have lived in Eugene for a long time, stories like this are difficult to simply scroll past.
Eugene has never been some crime-free little bubble, and pretending otherwise doesn't help anyone. But those of us who have called this area home for decades have also watched the city change dramatically, particularly over the last 10 years. There are incidents today that feel increasingly brazen and unpredictable, and a report involving someone driving through residential streets pointing a gun at strangers is deeply concerning no matter how accustomed we've become to seeing troubling headlines.
There are still countless reasons to love Eugene, and the overwhelming majority of people here are simply going about their lives, raising families, working, hiking, grabbing dinner and trying to make their community a good place to live. Acknowledging that doesn't mean we should shrug off incidents like this, either.
People should be able to pull into their driveway or drive through their own neighborhood without wondering whether the person in the next vehicle is going to point a firearm at them.
Thankfully, in this case, police were able to identify the vehicle, locate the suspect and make an arrest.
The allegations against Herrera are accusations at this stage. As with all criminal cases, he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Source: Eugene Police Department
