Possible Hate Crime Under Investigation In Ontario

ONTARIO, Ore. (AP) – Authorities are investigating a stabbing in an eastern Oregon truck stop as a possible hate crime.

The Ontario Police Department said Ronnell Hughes, who is a 48-year-old black man, was at an Arby’s Restaurant Saturday morning when he was stabbed multiple times in the neck by 26-year-old Nolan Strauss of Nebraska.

Strauss, who is a white man, is a truck driver and remains in Malheur County Jail on charges of attempted murder, assault and intimidation.

It’s unclear if he’s represented by an attorney.

Police said in a statement that the motive “leans heavily towards a racially motivated crime.”