PORTLAND, Ore. — A 51-year-old man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for a Portland bias crime.
According to a press release from the Multnomah County District Attorney's office, Thomas DeLong pleaded guilty to one count of bias crime in the first degree, one count of menacing and one count of disorderly conduct in the second degree.
The incident occurred in May 2020. The victim, a Black TriMet transit supervisor, was working at the Barbur Transit Station in SW Portland when another employee asked for help.
DeLong was causing an issue with a bus driver, but the driver was able to leave the station. Then Delong, who is white, began screaming and running toward the TriMet supervisor, repeatedly using racial hate speech. He swung at the supervisor during this encounter.
The victim ran and hid in a TriMet vehicle until the police came.
“Responding to acts of hate and providing justice and supporting victims of bias crime will always be a top priority for this office,” said Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney BJ Park, who worked the case.
In addition to the 18-month sentence, DeLong will be on five years of formal probation and three years of post-prison supervision. Part of the probation conditions includes having no presence on any TriMet property, having no contact with the victim and undergoing a drug, alcohol and mental health evaluation.
If you are the victim of a bias crime assault or you are witnessing one, call 9-1-1 immediately. If you are the victim of a bias crime and the suspect is no longer present or if you have information about a bias crime committed in the past, call the non-emergency line at 503-823-3333.
