The Oregonian | By Zane Sparling | January 1, 2026
Multnomah County prosecutors have filed warrants against two TriMet security guards, accusing the contractors of misdemeanor crimes while scuffling with a passenger on a train in October.
The charges have been filed under seal, and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office declined to identify the men or discuss the case until the warrants have been officially served.
James Han — the listed victim in the case — described his side of the story in an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive and in a lawsuit he filed Dec. 22.
The suit seeks $415,000 from TriMet, alleging assault, battery and negligence for failing to protect Han from harm. It was filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court by civil attorney Mike Fuller.
A TriMet spokesperson declined to comment on pending litigation.
Han, 54, said he was commuting home from his job as a funeral director on a westbound Blue Line train Oct. 14 when he accidentally bumped into one of the security guards while walking past him.
“I didn’t think anything of it, I just kept walking,” Han said in an interview Tuesday. But Han said the guard cried out “what the hell!”
In the lawsuit, Han claims the guard “violently grabbed” him while another allegedly came up from behind and placed Han in a chokehold.
A third security guard also approached, but Han said his role in the altercation was unclear, and prosecutors haven’t charged him with any crime.
After a brief struggle, one of the two other guards knocked Han’s legs out from under him, and the men threw the rider onto a long row of seats in the middle of the car, according to the lawsuit. One of the men was still choking him, Han alleged, saying he went limp until the man stopped grabbing his neck.
“It went from zero to 100, just like that,” Han said.
The funeral director said he remained inside the light-rail train while the security guards stepped out onto the Gateway Transit Center platform and apparently conferred with a supervisor.
Han said he was not ordered to leave the train and eventually returned home. He does not drive and has relied on coworkers for rides to work since the incident.
“The way that situation was handled,” he said, “they need to be held accountable.”
