PORTLAND, OR (KATU/CNN) – Two men are dead and another is injured after a man shouting racist chants unleashed a deadly stabbing attack on a commuter train in Portland, OR, Friday.
Police said the stabbing occurred on a Metropolitan Area Express light-rail train.
Witnesses told police it all started when the suspect began shouting hate speech on the crowded train.
It looked like he may have been targeting two girls described as Muslim, one who was wearing a hijab.
Two men died after they tried to intervene, and at least one other person who tried to intervene was injured.
A police sergeant said that the two men had their throats slashed after coming to the women's defense.
Police said the two young women left the train before officers arrived, and their identities were unknown.
The suspect was initially hospitalized but has since been booked in jail.
Two Dead, One Injured in Stabbing on MAX Train at Hollywood Transit Station -- Suspect in Custody https://t.co/1qDRsPZnoM pic.twitter.com/2y2FIctNj5
— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) May 27, 2017
The suspect hasn't been named but police described him as a white man between the ages of 20 and 40 years old.
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