Two private security guards who were patrolling TriMet's MAX Blue Line now face criminal charges, after a rider said he was put in a chokehold during an October confrontation on a train at Gateway Transit Center. Prosecutors in Multnomah County have filed sealed arrest warrants in the case, even as the rider pursues a civil lawsuit and state regulators scrutinize the guards' certifications.
Warrants Filed Under Seal
The arrest warrants were filed under seal, and prosecutors are not identifying the security guards until those warrants are served, according to Yahoo News. The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office has declined to discuss details while the court records remain sealed.
Passenger's Complaint and Civil Suit
The rider, 54-year-old James Han, filed a complaint in Multnomah County Circuit Court on December 22. He alleges battery, assault and negligence and is seeking $415,000 in damages. Han told FOX 12 that the clash happened on October 14, when he accidentally bumped into a guard on a MAX Blue Line train. He says two guards grabbed him and that a second guard then put him in a chokehold.
Names and Charges
Affidavits filed with prosecutors identify the guards as Edward Walter Arndt III and Cruz Magnus Bost. According to KGW, Arndt is charged with harassment and interfering with public transportation. Bost is charged with interfering with public transportation and strangulation. The filings also allege the guards left Han on the train without detaining him.
TriMet and the Contractor
TriMet says the personnel involved were contract security officers employed by Portland Patrol Inc., not TriMet staff. The agency's understanding is that both men are no longer on PPI's contract, according to a report that they were dropped from the contract. TriMet has told reporters it does not comment on pending litigation.
State Licensing Review
The Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training is moving to issue emergency suspensions of both men's unarmed professional certifications while it investigates, KGW reports. If those suspensions are imposed, the guards would be barred from working in any role that requires DPSST certification during the administrative review.
Broader Concerns About Training and Oversight
The incident has renewed questions about TriMet's heavy use of private contractors to handle safety and security on the transit system. Reporting by the Portland Mercury has detailed complaints from current and former Portland Patrol Inc. employees about abbreviated training, high turnover and inconsistent preparation for volatile encounters on buses and trains.
What Happens Next
The warrants must be served before prosecutors can publicly lay out their full case, and the criminal proceedings will move forward separately from Han's civil lawsuit. TriMet has declined to comment on the dispute, and Portland Patrol Inc. did not immediately respond to requests for comment, a silence that matches their earlier decision to decline public comment on the lawsuit.
