Beaverton police: Light-rail passenger cut with butter knife

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Authorities arrested a 24-year-old man accused of cutting a passenger with a butter knife on a light-rail train near Portland.

Beaverton police say officers responded Tuesday night and found a man with a small laceration on his ear. The victim said he was standing near the door when the train stopped. When the door opened, a stranger came toward him with a butter knife, and slashed at him several times.

Police say the knife-wielding man fled, but was quickly captured. Washington County court records show Enrique Diaz was charged with assault and unlawful use of a weapon. He does not yet have a lawyer.

The incident comes at a time of heightened concern about safety on light-rail trains in the Portland area. Two passengers were fatally stabbed May 26 and a train operator was assaulted last week.