Portland man attacks train passengers with rock amid citywide crime wave

A Portland, Oregon man has been arrested for allegedly punching and smashing a man's face with a rock on the MAX light rail train in the latest string of attacks on the city's public transportation amidst a spike in crime.

According to KATU, Johnny Moan is accused of assaulting a man who was attempting to prevent him from harming another "terrified" passenger on a train at the Lloyd Center Transit Station.



The affidavit, filed on Tuesday, states that Moan could be seen throwing rocks at trains, prompting police to respond to the area and try to find him. As they searched for him over the next hour and a half, police received multiple additional calls about more damage being done as he moved around. They then got a report saying that Moan had attacked someone.

As the local outlet reported, the responding deputy found the male victim, "who was seen to be dizzy and had multiple injuries on his face with 'redness, swelling, and blood.'"

According to the unidentified victim, he was riding on the MAX when he witnessed the suspect holding a rock and shouting at a female, who he described as "terrified." When the male passenger got up to aid the woman, he said Moan punched him in the face.

"When the victim tried to exit the MAX train, Moan then reportedly followed him and smashed him in the face with the rock," the KATU reported, adding that the suspect cracked another window with the rock as he left. 

When police were able to track down and arrest Moan with help from CCTV footage and witnesses, he reportedly said "You know I did that sh*t on camera."

Law enforcement also reported that Moan shouted "out of nowhere" that he "use[s] meth, and "Yeah, I did that, I f*cking hit him good. I hit someone else too!"

Investigators were able to find the rock that was used as an attack weapon, which they said was six inches long and four inches thick.

In a statement, TriMet, the public agency that runs the MAX railways, said "Our thoughts are with the person hurt and those frightened during this ordeal. We hope they are able to recover quickly and fully. As we work with our Transit Police Division and our security teams to continuously improve safety and security on our transit system, we look to state and local leaders to begin addressing the societal issues behind so many of the challenges occurring in public spaces in our region."

As KATU reported, this crime comes amid a wave of other assaults on Portland public transit, including a man biting off part of someone's face and a woman accused of pushing a three-year-old onto the tracks in an "unprovoked" attack.

Due to the uptick in crime across the city, the Walmart corporation has announced the closing of all store locations in the city.

"Walmart has long been harshly criticized by the city's left-wing politicians & residents, but this shutdown follows the consequences of the 2020 BLM-Antifa riots that normalized urban criminality," wrote The Post Millennial's Andy Ngo.