GRESHAM, Oregon: A suspect attacked a 78-year-old man on a light-rail train platform in a Portland suburb and chewed off the victim’s ear and part of his face before police could intervene, authorities said Tuesday.
The injuries to the unidentified victim from Hillsboro, Oregon, were so severe that his skull was visible after the attack early Tuesday, Gresham police said in a statement.
Police arrested 25-year-old Koryn Kraemer and booked him on an accusation of assault in the second degree after identifying him through fingerprints, they said. Kraemer recently moved to Oregon from Georgia, police said.
Authorities are investigating whether drug use may have prompted Kraemer’s behavior.
No case information was listed for Kraemer in Oregon’s online court system and he had yet to make a court appearance.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Kraemer had an attorney who could comment.
Gresham is a city of about 113,000 people about 15 miles (24 kilometers) east of Portland.