Police found an operating methamphetamine lab in a raid on a campus-area apartment Thursday.
Police detonated a flash-bang grenade and with the aid of a SWAT team, entered apartment 14 at 1840 Agate St. around 7 a.m. They found firearms, stolen property and a meth lab inside.
Police arrested the apartment’s resident, Anthony Michael Tornaquindici, 47, on charges of violating parole for a previous conviction of unlawful use of a weapon. According to the Eugene Police Department, authorities obtained a warrant to search Tornaquindici’s apartment because they suspected he was trading drugs for stolen property.
The flash-bang grenade and SWAT were necessary precautions because of Tornaquindici’s history with illegal firearms, according to the EPD.
Ashley Scheitel, 21, lives in a complex adjacent to the apartment and said police teams
were present until early in the evening, likely cleaning up toxic chemicals and securing
the area.
Police have posted signs on the apartment’s door warning of possible chemical contamination, but they believe contamination was limited to the one apartment.
Meth has considerable potential to impact the communities in which it is manufactured, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services Drug Lab Cleanup Program. Byproducts from the manufacture of meth degrade environmental quality, seeping into soil, water and air, and potentially leading to health problems for people living in contaminated areas, according to DHS.
Tornaquindici was booked into Lane County Jail and will be charged with unlawful drug manufacturing and aggravated theft, according to the EPD.

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