A man is facing felony assault and bias crime charges following an altercation with two men and detectives believe there could be additional victims.
On Sunday, May 12, 2024, in the 1300 block of Southwest Alder Street, an adult male, who is Black, was called a racial slur by a man who recognized him from his job as a security officer at a grocery store in Downtown Portland. The suspect then ordered his dog to attack. The victim sustained significant injuries to his chest and hand. A second victim, a white male, was also injured in the incident.
On Monday, May 13, 2024, the case was assigned to the Major Crimes Unit for follow-up.
On Monday, May 20, 2024, one of the two victims spotted the suspect in Downtown Portland and called 911. Detectives from the Major Crimes Unit happened to be in the area and responded to assist Central Precinct officers in taking the suspect into custody.
The suspect is identified as 29-year-old Zachary T. Hay. He was lodged at the Multnomah County Detention Center on the following charges: Assault in the Second Degree (two counts) and Bias Crime in the First Degree. Hay’s dog was transported to Multnomah County Animal Services.
Based on the investigation thus far, the Major Crimes Unit believes there is a third victim who sustained significant injuries during an encounter with Hay and his dog. Photos of both are being released in hopes that the unidentified victim, or anyone else who may have been victimized by Hay and his dog, will contact police.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Detective Matthew Brown at [email protected] and reference case number 24-116932.
The Portland Police Bureau investigates all reports of bias-motivated crimes and encourages any member of our community who is the victim of such a crime to contact law enforcement. Under Oregon law, bias crimes are defined as any criminal act that targets a victim based on the suspect’s perception of the victim’s race, color, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or national origin. Detectives work to determine whether or not bias elements are present during the reported crime that align with Oregon law as defined in the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS):
ORS 166.165 – Bias Crime in the First Degree – https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/166.165
ORS 166.155 – Bias Crime in the Second Degree – https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/166.155
If you have been the victim of a bias crime assault or you are witnessing one, immediately call 9-1-1. If you have been the victim of a different bias crime and the suspect is no longer present, such as vandalism or graffiti, please call the non-emergency line at 503-823-3333.
To learn more about bias crime investigations and reported bias/hate crime statistics within the City of Portland, please visit https://www.portland.gov/police/open-data/reported-bias-crime-statistics .
Man Faces Assault, Bias Crime Charges Following Arrest, Additional Victims Sought
