Multnomah County District Attorney: DA Mike Schmidt Announces 30-Month Sentence For Leo Cox, 48, For Throwing A Hatchet At A Passing Cyclist

Press release from the Multnomah County District Attorney:

February 8, 2022

Elisabeth Shepard, Communications Director 

Elisabeth.Shepard@nullmcda.us 

DA Mike Schmidt announces 30-month sentence for Leo Cox, 48, for throwing a hatchet at a passing cyclist 

PORTLAND, Oregon – Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that a Multnomah County judge sentenced Leo Cox, 48, to a 30-month prison sentence on February 7, 2022, after a jury found him guilty last month of Unlawful Use of a Weapon.

In September of 2021, Portland Police responded to a report of a man throwing a hatchet at a passing cyclist in North Portland. Cox was walking in the area of North Broadway and North Larrabee and appeared to be angry, carrying a hatchet in one hand while his other hand was balled into a fist. A cyclist passed Cox and he began to chase them. 

The cyclist observed Cox chasing him and rode away to avoid him at which point Cox threw the hatchet at the cyclist, nearly hitting him. Cox remained in the area and was contacted by police still holding the hatchet he had retrieved after throwing it at the cyclist. Officers commanded him to drop the weapon. Cox complied and was taken into custody. 

The Multnomah District Attorney’s Office thanks the Portland Police Bureau for their assistance in this case. 

#MCDA#

This press release was produced by the Multnomah County District Attorney. The views expressed here are the author’s own.