PORTLAND, Ore. — Two suspects were arrested Monday after one of them allegedly stabbed a TriMet bus driver in the leg during a confrontation in Northeast Portland, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.
Anna Karen Perez-Velador, 28, was booked on charges of assault, menacing, unlawful use of a weapon, coercion and criminal mischief. Cody Christopher Richardson, 26, was booked on a charge of interfering with public transportation, along with prior arrest warrants, police said.
Transit police officers from the sheriff's office and Portland police officers were called to the intersection of Northeast 27th Avenue and Saratoga Street at 11 p.m. Monday, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.
They found the bus driver at the scene, and the driver told police that they had exited through the driver-side window after being stabbed because Perez-Velador had been standing in the bus' doorway with the knife.
The officers found Perez-Velador and Richardson nearby and took them both into custody, police said. The driver was treated for the leg injury at a local hospital and later released.
Police said they learned during an investigation that Perez-Velador and Richardson were the only two riders left on board when the bus reached the end of the line. The driver asked the two to exit, and Perez-Velador confronted the driver, pulled out a knife and stabbed them in the leg.
"Our hearts are with our operator as they recover from this frightening ordeal," TriMet said in a statement. "Managers are connecting the operator with support service for their mental and emotional wellbeing. We remind the public that assaulting a bus operator is a felony. TriMet will continue working with Transit Police and the district attorney’s office to hold the assailant accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
