GRESHAM, Ore. (KATU) — Police in Gresham, Oregon responded to reports of a violent attack early Tuesday morning at the Cleveland Transit Station, with investigators saying the injuries were so severe they could see the 78-year-old victim's skull.
Initial reports came in at about 2:15 a.m. indicating that someone had been stabbed with a knife on a MAX platform on Northeast 8th Street.
Arriving law enforcement officers found the suspect still on top of the victim and realized the incident was not a stabbing but that the suspect had "chewed off the victim's ear and part of his face."
The victim, described as a 78-year-old man from Hillsboro, was treated and transported to the hospital with traumatic injuries. Police also had to use force in arresting the suspect, and two ambulances were called to the scene.
Gresham Police later said Koryn Kraemer, 25, was booked into the Multnomah County Jail on second-degree assault. Kraemer recently moved to Portland from Georgia. A source close to the investigation tells KATU News that he admitted to using alcohol, marijuana, and fentanyl before the attack.
In a transcript of communications by emergency dispatch obtained through Broadcastify, the dispatcher can be heard conveying the following information, saying:
"The suspect is still on top of the victim. There are people standing around not reacting to this. Unknown race, male, grey hair, blue beanie, tan coat, red socks. Think he might be biting him now?"
Later on in the transcript, a responder says "half this guy's face appears to be chewed off."
TriMet issued the following statement about the incident Tuesday afternoon, saying:
"TriMet values the safety of our employees and riders above all. It's upsetting to learn that someone was hurt by another person at the Cleveland Ave MAX Station early this morning. The MAX Blue Line was not in service at the time, and it's unclear if the people involved were using the transit system at the time of the incident. We are not commenting on this case, as it is in the very early stages of the investigation. Gresham Police is the lead and may have additional information."What happens in the community will at times happen on or near the transit system. As we work to provide safety system-wide, across our 533 square-mile service district stretching across three counties, we also look to our partners for help addressing larger safety and community issues. Transit Police, which is led by Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, work closely with other local law enforcement to investigate criminal activity that spills over onto the transit system and may have more."TriMet tweeted that the Max Blue Line was disrupted due to police activity and that shuttle buses were serving stations between Gresham Central Transit Center and Ruby Junction. Service resumed around 5:30 a.m, and commuters were warned to expect residual delays.
By 11:30 a.m. the scene was clear of police presence and TriMet staff were cleaning up the aftermath.
TriMet commuters tell KATU they're used to carrying weapons or pepper spray for self-protection but they're becoming increasingly worried after hearing about instances of violent crime at TriMet stations.
"That really shocked me because most of the time I feel kind of safe walking around. I don’t really expect that something like that is going to happen. I know there were a few attacks that happened down at the transit center which is, personally, why I moved down to this stop," Jayden Adach said.
Some commuters say they don't want to travel alone anymore.
"It’s scary. It’s just getting really, really scary. I ride the MAX all the time and it’s so convenient but when you hear scary stories like that it makes me try to be even more aware I think, if anything," Julie Anderson said.
KATU also reached out to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, and they responded with a statement.
“The two recent, isolated crimes are extremely disturbing. The Transit Police Division (TPD) is working with public safety partners, including the Gresham Police Department, to investigate the crimes to the fullest extent of the law."Every day, we work hand-in-hand with our TriMet partners, who provide a host of public safety strategies, including unarmed security teams, customer service specialists and safety response teams."To create safe environments for transit riders, operators and employees, this month, the Transit Police Division is increasing its staff, by adding two full-time deputies, and increasing hours of operations. TPD is continuing to perform public safety missions at TriMet Transit Centers and platforms where the volume of calls for service are higher in order to deter and disrupt criminal activity," said staff with MCSO.ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7zZqroqeeYsSwvsudZqynpaewpnnSmrCsZaaesLW1zKxkn5mTmnq4rdJmn5qklmKwqbHWnptmp5abeqe7y6WmsKGenHqiwNOamqRlkal6sL7EoKanZaSnrq%2B%2FyK1krKyRqbawuoygqZ6rmJa6brzOpaCcnV2YuabCxKWYp5xdqb%2BiutKiq2arpJbBqrvN