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Man accused of punching 2 strangers on public transportation in separate incidents

PORTLAND, ore. (KOIN) — A man accused of punching two strangers on public transportation in separate incidents appeared in Multnomah County court Friday and pleaded not guilty to multiple charges.

Cordial William Alexander Hunter faces multiple charges of fourth-degree assault and interfering with public transportation, according to court documents.

Hunter, who had multiple arrest warrants at the time, was arrested on Dec. 10 by a dual-badged Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office deputy and a Transit Police Officer.

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On the day of his arrest, Hunter allegedly punched a man in the face on the Parkrose Transit Center TriMet Max platform.

The victim told the responding sheriff’s deputy that an unidentified man wearing a pacifier and a gray hoodie followed him off the TriMet bus, then confronted him and punched him in the face. He had visible swelling in his left eye and said he had difficulty opening and closing his eye because of the pain, which he rated as a seven or eight out of 10, according to court documents.

Deputies reviewed surveillance footage and the victim confirmed that the person in the video was the same person who attacked her. The officer located Hunter on Northeast Sandy Boulevard and arrested him after noting his direction from surveillance footage.

According to the deputy, Hunter claimed he followed the victim off the bus because of a comment she made.

This all follows a similar incident on Nov. 17, when a different deputy/transit officer responded to a report of a “cold assault” at the intersection of Northeast 82nd Street and Northeast Halsey Avenue, according to court documents.

The victim told the sheriff’s deputy that he was standing on a TriMet MAX train when a man he did not know punched him in the face for no reason. The man’s lip was bloody and his eye was swollen.

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The deputy reviewed security camera footage and noticed that the victim had his back turned to the suspect prior to the attack. The man fell onto a seat, punching the suspect in the face before fleeing the train.

The deputy took a screenshot of the security footage and created a flyer of the suspect that was distributed to other law enforcement agencies. The brochure was later stated to have helped deputies in the Dec. 10 incident identify the suspect.

Hunter has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the Nov. 17 incident, which include fourth-degree assault and two counts of interfering with public transportation. Hunter also pleaded not guilty to fourth-degree assault, harassment and interference with public transportation in connection with the Dec. 10 incident.

Hunter’s bail was set at $5,000 on each count, and he was ordered not to contact the victims or go onto TriMet property without a valid fee. Another hearing will be held on January 9.

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