A witness said the accused man also swung at a girl after chasing children from a Lincoln Street apartment.
EUGENE, Ore. — Eugene police said a wooden stick used in an alleged assault on a 9-year-old boy was about 2 feet long and sharpened at one end, while a witness reported that the accused man also swung at another child and missed.
The description adds detail to an encounter that led to the arrest of 30-year-old Collin McPherson Lounsbury. Police said the confrontation unfolded Saturday night, Nov. 7, at an apartment complex on Lincoln Street, where a group of children had been playing ding-dong-ditch.
Authorities said the children had been playing the door-knocking prank at the apartments over the previous several days. Police said Lounsbury came out of an apartment, chased the group and caught up with the 9-year-old.
Police said Lounsbury struck the boy in the face with a solid wooden stick. Investigators described it as approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter and about 2 feet long, with one end sharpened. The available police account did not say whether the sharpened end made contact with the child.
The 9-year-old was transported to a hospital following the encounter. Police did not provide a detailed description of his injuries in the initial public account, and later reports reviewed did not provide a confirmed update on his medical condition.
A witness told investigators that Lounsbury also swung the stick at a female child in the group, according to police. The witness said the swing missed. Authorities did not report that the girl suffered any injuries.
The allegation involving the second child is part of the police account of the chase, but the initial reports did not identify a separate criminal charge tied specifically to that swing. Police also did not identify either child, consistent with their status as minors.
Lounsbury was lodged at the Lane County Jail after his arrest. Eugene police said he faced accusations of second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. Those allegations are not findings of guilt and remain subject to the criminal court process.
The public police account did not describe a physical confrontation before the chase or report that any of the children were armed. It said the encounter began in connection with the group playing ding-dong-ditch at the apartment complex.
No additional allegations or confirmed medical update for the injured child had been announced in the reports reviewed as of Tuesday.
Author note: Last updated November 10, 2026.