Nation/World

2 killed in stabbing on Portland MAX train as man directs slurs at Muslim women, police say

Two people were killed in a stabbing on a MAX train Friday when they tried to intervene as a man yelled racial slurs at two young women who appeared to be Muslim, including one wearing a hijab, Portland, Oregon, police said.

A third passenger also was stabbed, but is expected to survive, said police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson.

Officers arrested the suspect as he ran into the neighborhood near Providence Portland Medical Center in Northeast Portland, Simpson said. Police are still working to identify the suspect and people stabbed.

The man was ranting about many things, using "hate speech or biased language," and at one point focused on the young women, Simpson said.

The suspect then turned on the passengers who tried to help, Simpson said.

"In the midst of his ranting and raving, some people approached him and appeared to try to intervene with his behavior and some of the people that he was yelling at," Simpson said. "They were attacked viciously."

One good Samaritan died at the scene and another at the hospital, he said. The third victim was undergoing evaluation, but didn't suffer life-threatening wounds, he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

"These were folks just riding the train and unfortunately got caught up in this," he said.

It's not clear why the man was yelling, Simpson said.

"He was talking about a lot of different things, not just specifically anti-Muslim," Simpson said.

"We don't know if he's got mental health issues," Simpson said. "We don't know if he's under the influence of drugs or alcohol or all of the above."

Evelin Hernandez, a 38-year-old Clackamas resident, said she was on the train when the man began making racist remarks to the young women. A group of men tried to quiet him, she said, and he stabbed them.

The attack occurred on as a MAX Green Line train was heading east. A train remained stopped on the tracks at the Hollywood/N.E. 42nd Avenue Transit Center as police investigated.

Simpson said police want to talk to the young women and other witnesses to the rampage. They understandably left the scene, but can help fill in what happened, he said.

"It's horrific," he said. "There's no other word to describe what happened today. For the victims, our thoughts and prayers are with their families. … For the witnesses, there is no other word."

Friday marks the start of Ramadan, a monthlong fast observed by most of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims.

"Our thoughts are with the Muslim community," Simpson said. "As something like this happens, this only instills fear in that community. We have already reached out previous to this incident to our Muslim community partners and the different imams about extra patrol during Ramadan. We want to reassure them that that will continue.

Portland is home to a rough estimate of about 50,000 Muslims of different ethnicities.

"This appears at least to be an isolated incident based on what we know at this point," Simpson said.

Officers tried to save the man who died on the train, he said. Police have recovered the knife, he said.

Simpson thanked witnesses who called 911 and reported where the suspect went and what he was wearing.

"It was really critical to us taking this man into custody. (He was) obviously very dangerous based on his actions," he said.

ADVERTISEMENT