PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A 28-year-old man is accused of using a metal pipe to randomly attack a person sitting on a MAX train, according to court documents.
The charges against Brandon Coleman, who also goes by the name of Alif Din, were filed on Friday and accuse him of second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.
According to court documents, the victim and Coleman did not know each other prior to the March 7 attack. The victim was riding a MAX train when Coleman and someone else approached. Coleman started to yell at the victim “who was just sitting in the train,” documents said. Coleman then took out a silver pipe and struck the victim in the head.
Bystanders intervened and Coleman left the train. It’s not known if police have identified the second person.
The victim was taken to the hospital to be treated for non-life threatening head injuries.
The entire incident was captured on TriMet security cameras, according to court documents. Police took that video and sent it out to other law enforcement agencies throughout the metro in an effort to identity the suspect.
Beaverton police notified Transit police that they had arrested Coleman on March 8 for an unrelated incident. Coleman was taken into custody on March 15.
He appeared in court on March 16 and was arraigned on both counts. A court appointed attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
According to jail records, Coleman is homeless. He has a criminal record that includes two felony, five misdemeanor and nine probation violation convictions on his record.
He currently had two active cases open for charges of criminal trespassing and harassment.