GRESHAM, OR – An elderly man was brutally attacked on a light-rail platform just outside of Portland by a man who chewed off part of his face and ear. The man was finally stopped by police, but not before the suspect was able to chew off enough skin to expose the victim’s skull.
#Oregon
A suspect is in custody after a grisly attack on an elderly man on a MAX platform in Gresham early Tuesday morning, according to police. pic.twitter.com/GSi1GtVcyn— The Daily Sneed™🕗 (@Tr00peRR) January 4, 2023
The Gresham Police Department along with a deputy from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office received a call around 2 a.m. on January 3rd for a reported stabbing at the Max Light-Rail train station. Callers reported a man had been stabbing an elderly victim and there was a “significant amount of blood” from the attack.
KATU obtained recordings when the dispatchers alerted officers of the call for service where they said:
“The suspect is still on top of the victim…there’s people standing around not reacting to this…unknown race male, grey hair, blue beanie, tan coat, red socks…think he might be biting him now?”
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the suspect, later identified as 25-year-old Koryn Kraemer, allegedly on top of an elderly victim who was covered in blood. Kraemer was allegedly still attacking the victim causing the officers to have to pull him off and secure him. A transmission from an officer on the scene said:
“Half this guy’s face appears to be chewed off.”
When they looked for knife wounds they found something far more disturbing…Kraemer allegedly used his teeth to chew through the victim’s skin and had not stabbed him. Kraemer’s attack allegedly removed enough skin off the victim’s head to expose a portion of his skull. In a press release, the Gresham Police Department wrote:
“Detectives confirmed the victim was not stabbed but the suspect had chewed off the victim’s ear and part of his face. The injury was so severe that responders could see the victim’s skull.”
Police officers were able to detain Kraemer while they rendered first aid to the victim until medical personnel could arrive. The victim, who was not identified, suffered what police described as “serious injuries to his head and face.”
After taking Kraemer into custody, he allegedly told officers that his name was “El Baker.” Detectives later determined this to be a fake name after his fingerprints came back to identify him as Kraemer. Detectives reported Kraemer had recently moved to the Portland area from Georgia.
Detectives are still working to determine why Kraemer allegedly attacked the elderly man and if he was on any type of “illicit” drugs at the time of the attack, which, according to KATU’s sources, may be the case. According to their source:
“[Kraemer] admitted to using alcohol, marijuana, and fentanyl before the attack.”
KATU obtained a statement from TriMet which oversees the station where the attack occurred. Their statement read:
“TriMet values the safety of our employees and riders above all. It’s upsetting to learn that someone was hurt by another person at the Cleveland Ave MAX station early this morning. The MAX Blue Line was not in service at the time, and it’s unclear if the people involved were using the transit system at the time of the incident. We are not commenting on this case, as it is in the very early stages of the investigation. Gresham Police is the lead and may have additional information.
Gresham Police responded to reports of a violent attack at the Cleveland Transit Station early this morning. A source close to the investigation said a man bit a victim’s face, saying it was “half chewed off.” We’re now seeing TriMet staff cleaning up at this location. pic.twitter.com/J6XA1wtNpz
— Megan Allison (@mallisonKATU) January 3, 2023
“What happens in the community will at times happen on or near the transit system. As we work to provide safety system-wide, across our 533 square-mile service district stretching across three counties, we also look to our partners for help addressing larger safety and community issues. Transit Police, which is led by Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, works closely with other local law enforcement to investigate criminal activity that spills over onto the transit system and may have more.”
KATU spoke to commuters who use the TriMet system to travel to different destinations. Some of those people told reporters that they carry some type of weapon or pepper spray on them in case they are attacked. However, even though those who carry weapons feel a bit safer, they allegedly told reporters that they have become more concerned due to different reported incidents of attacks. One person, Jayden Adach, told KATU:
“That [Kraemer’s alleged attack] really shocked me, because most of the time I feel kind of safe walking around. I don’t really expect that something like that is going to happen. I know there were a few attacks that happened down at the transit center which is, personally, why I moved down to this stop.”
Kramer was arrested and charged with Assault in the Second Degree.
Want to make sure you never miss a story from Law Enforcement Today? With so much “stuff” happening in the world on social media, it’s easy for things to get lost.
