At 3:48 p.m. on May 12, Eugene Police officers responded to the Fred Meyer, 3333 W 11th Avenue, for a robbery. A man, later identified as Isaiah Emanuel Rodriguez Ortiz, age 21, and a woman were reported to have fled the store with stolen merchandise. An employee had confronted them as the left and Rodriguez Ortiz is reported to have displayed a handgun. Rodriguez Ortiz and the woman fled in a vehicle that had been rented and not returned.
At 5:24 p.m. on May 12, officers were dispatched to a dispute call at the Value Inn, 595 Highway 99N. A man was reported to have kicked in a hotel room door and dragged a woman into the room. As an officer and his recruit approached the involved room, they learned the vehicle involved in the robbery was associated to the room they were dispatched to. The woman exited and was cooperative, then Rodriguez Ortiz exited and was detained as well. The two officers made the best of a dynamic encounter when their dispute call morphed into suspect contact from a recent armed robbery. Another officer and Property Crimes Unit detectives responded to the scene and continued the investigation into the Fred Meyer robbery. The stolen property and a handgun were recovered. Additionally, the suspects were found to be in possession of methamphetamine and more than 700 pills of a controlled substance (Case #20-07877).
Rodriguez Ortiz was arrested and lodged at Lane County Jail on charges of Robbery in the First Degree, Unlawful Use Firearm, Menacing, Felon in Possession of a Weapon, Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine, Controlled Substance Offense, Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree, and Parole Violation.