On November 9 around 12:58 a.m., Eugene Police officers were dispatched to the 900 block of Willamette after there were reports a man who was armed with a knife and menacing people. As two officers arrived they spotted the man, later identified as Richard Dean Taylor, age 58, actively aggressing a woman with a hunting knife. An officer drew his firearm and addressed Taylor, getting the woman out of harm’s way and beginning de-escalation attempts. Other officers continued to arrive in the area as Taylor left on foot still brandishing the knife in an aggressive manner and yelling. Multiple people in the area had to take shelter in a local business. Police followed Taylor, who was yelling at police while waving and slashing toward police with the knife. Efforts to calmly de-escalate Taylor were continuously made. From the first moments of the call, until Taylor was in custody, there were concerns he could readily harm a bystander or officer at any moment, as well as be harmed himself.
Taylor ended up all the way around the block, returning to the original scene. He resisted the effects of three taser deployments, three less lethal sponge rounds and pepper spray. Finally Taylor put his knife in his pocket and sat on the sidewalk. As officers went to handcuff hm, his hands moved toward his pockets and he resisted arrest. He was safely taken into custody. Medics arrived to evaluate Taylor but he declined assistance. He was transported to the Lane County Jail. Taylor was lodged on two counts of Unlawful Use Weapon, two counts of Menacing, and Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree.
Taylor’s situation and condition continues to present serious challenges. He has been the subject of multiple calls to 911 by business owners and continues to generate calls for service for CAHOOTS and police.
Case 21-17646