Man who chased and yelled racist slurs at TriMet worker sentenced to 18 months in prison

A 51-year-old man who chased and shouted racist slurs against a Black TriMet supervisor at a southwest Portland transit station last year was sentenced to 18 months in prison for committing a crime of bias.

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced Thomas DeLong’s conviction on Sunday. DeLong has pleaded guilty to one count of the felony of bias, one count of threat and one count of second-degree disorderly conduct arising from the high-profile incident of 2020.

DeLong initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. He told court officials at the time that he drank “a little too much” and “did not want to commit a crime,” according to court documents. According to initial reports of the incident, DeLong missed a bus and then started chasing the supervisor around the property.

According to the district attorney’s officer, the TriMet employee overheard a TriMet driver calling for help, and the driver left the Barbur transit station specifically to avoid DeLong.

DeLong was seen hitting the side of the bus. When he spotted the TriMet supervisor, he started screaming and running towards the man while “clenching both hands in fists” and swinging them “in a circle while chasing” the TriMet worker.

DeLong was shouting racist slurs while chasing the man, who was eventually able to escape DeLong in a TriMet vehicle until police arrived

Beyond the 18-month jail term, DeLong also faces five years probation and is prohibited from entering TriMet property. Interacting with the TriMet employee is also prohibited and has been ordered to undergo a drug and alcohol mental health assessment.

– Andrew Theen; [email protected]; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen