Dan Lanning addresses Daylen Austin arrest: ‘I know Daylen’s character’

Oregon redshirt freshman defensive back Daylen Austin was arrested in the early hours of April 16 in connection with a fatal hit-and-run in Eugene.

After the Ducks’ annual spring game on Saturday head coach Dan Lanning, whom Austin committed to out of high school, gave a brief statement regarding the tragic event that occurred last week.

“I have no updates right now,” Lanning said, his first comments on the incident. “I know Daylen’s character and I think there are a lot of details that will continue to play out. Beyond that, I’m not going to speak on it any more than that.”

Austin is a former four-star defensive back from Long Beach, CA who wrapped up his first season with the Ducks in January. He saw action in two games this past season, recording three tackles and a pass breakup.

On the night of the incident, Eugene Police Department took to social media to reveal that they were “investigating a fatal hit-and-run at W. 4th and Polk that occurred on April 15 around 9:10 p.m.” according to The Oregonian’s James Crepea. The update from the police department continued, via Crepea, which confirmed Austin’s involvement: “Daylen Amir Austin, age 19, has initially been charged with felony Hit and Run. This is a complex investigation and EPD is still gathering information to be submitted to the Lane County District Attorney’s Office for a final charging decision.”

Austin later appeared in front of a judge on a video call from jail, where he was arranged on April 17, according to local Fox affiliate KPTV. He did not enter a plea and is scheduled to appear in court once again on May 22.

KPTV interviewed a witness of the crash, Seth Lockard, whose house the crash happened in front of, who said that he heard a speeding car driving in circles for a 10-15 minute period.

“My wife heard a thump and that was real rough. She didn’t put it together. She thought maybe he hit a tree or something, then I heard a bunch of sirens. Then I went outside and saw the scene,” Lockard told the news outlet. “All of these police cars and police tape and stuff. It was just really sad and I was very angry. … I’ve been talking to my wife a lot and just kind of checking in with each other because she saw what I saw. It’s not something you see on your front porch every day.”

Locals in Eugene have since placed candles at the scene of the crash in remembrance of the 46-year-old man who died in the crash.