A man who took a MAX train passenger hostage at the Mount Hood MAX Station has been taken into custody. The passenger and MAX train operator are safe, and there are no reported injuries.
On May 24, 2022, at 2:19 p.m., Transit Police Division officers were dispatched to the Mount Hood MAX Station, located at 9299 NE Cascade Parkway, after receiving a report of an individual causing a disturbance. When officers arrived, they found that the suspect had armed himself with a knife in one hand, and what appeared to be a skewer in the other, and was holding a rider hostage on the train. The MAX train operator was forced to shelter in place in the train’s cabin. Transit Police officers consulted with the Portland Police Bureau Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT), which were then both activated.
As SERT arrived, they used an opportunity to deploy flash-bang devices to distract the suspect. SERT officers quickly boarded the train and took the suspect into custody, then helped the passenger and train operator exit the train safely. Neither the operator nor passenger were harmed during the incident.
The suspect is identified as 41-year-old Marcus Dwaine Tate.
Tate, who did not report injuries, will be booked into the Multnomah County jail on these charges:
• Robbery in the first degree
• Robbery in the second degree
• Coercion
• Menacing, two counts
• Unlawful use of a weapon, two counts
• Harassment, two counts
• Interfering with public transportation
The investigation is being led by the Transit Police Division, which is managed by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
