PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Two good Samaritans saved a woman from an attack on a MAX platform last month, according to the Beaverton Police Department.
In the early morning hours of June 25, a Hillsboro woman riding a MAX train from Portland was approached by a man later identified as William Wesley Gilchrist of Portland. The woman refused to acknowledge attempts by Gilchrist, 38, to start a conversation. And when the woman got up to leave the train, Gilchrist reportedly followed her onto the MAX platform.
Police said Gilchrist then grabbed the woman and assaulted her. Two men nearby overheard the woman’s pleas for help and ran to her aid.
“The good Samaritans worked together to confront Gilchrist and pull the woman to safety,” BPD said in a release Wednesday.
Gilchrist was allegedly armed with a razor blade at the time, according to police.
Gilchrist ran from the scene but was later captured by police near the intersection of SW Murray Boulevard and SW Jenkins Road. He was arrested and lodged in the Washington County Jail.
On July 2, a grand jury indicted Gilchrist on charges on 1st Degree Unlawful Sexual Penetration, 1st Degree Sex Abuse, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and 1st Degree Attempted Rape.
The condition of the victim was not immediately known.