Brutal stabbing of Black veteran at Oregon truck stop probed as hate crime

A Black military veteran, who had recently moved to Ontario, Ore., from North Carolina to be near his girlfriend, was stabbed multiple times by a white man when he stopped to apply for a job.

Ronnell Hughes, a Black military veteran who had recently moved to Ontario, Ore., from North Carolina to be near his girlfriend, was stabbed multiple times by a white man when he stopped to apply for a job.

Dawn Onley

Dec 24, 2019

Ronnell Hughes, a Black, military veteran who had recently moved to Ontario, Ore., from North Carolina to be close to his girlfriend, was stabbed multiple times by a white man in what police are calling a possible hate crime, reports say.

Hughes, 48, was sitting at an Arby’s Restaurant on Saturday morning inside the Pilot truck stop applying for a job when Nolan Strauss, 26, reportedly approached him because he is Black and started to stab him in the neck, according to the Malheur Enterprise. Ontario is located near the Idaho border.

Police told media outlets that Strauss is believed to be a truck driver and is reportedly from Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was booked into the Malheur County Jail on charges of attempted murder, assault and intimidation.

Ben Esplin, lead detective on the case for the Ontario police, told the Malheur Enterprise that “the suspect made some statements that he did what he did because of the color of the victim’s skin.” Esplin said Strauss made the statements to police as he was being arrested.

The police affidavit adds that Strauss said he “hates black people,” according to the newspaper. The affidavit goes on to say that Strauss told police “his intent was to kill the victim.”

In October, Hughes moved to the area from Sanford, North Carolina to join up with his girlfriend, Nikita Apodaca, according to the Malheur Enterprise.

Police said Strauss and Hughes didn’t know each other and there was no indication that the incident was provoked. “The motive for the attack leans heavily towards a racially motivated crime,” police said in a statement.

Employees at the Pilot truck stop pulled Strauss off Hughes, and subdued him until police arrived.

Hughes was listed in stable condition at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise. He was put in an induced coma on Sunday after undergoing hours of surgery on Saturday, according to the newspaper, which quotes Apodaca.