Police: Man yelling racial slurs stabs 3 in Portland; 2 killed

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Police say two people died and another was hurt in a stabbing on a Portland light-rail train after a man yelled racial slurs at two young Muslim women.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://goo.gl/PKo777 ) officers arrested a man Friday afternoon who ran from the MAX train.

Portland police Sgt. Pete Simpson says the assailant on the train was ranting on many topics, using “hate speech or biased language,” and turned his focus on the women.

Simpson says passengers intervened and were “attacked viciously.” He says one person died at the scene and another at a hospital.

Simpson says police don’t know if the man has mental health issues or if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Millions of Muslims marked the start of Ramadan Friday, a time marked by intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.