Slingshot-wielder leaves victim with punctured lung in attack near MAX stop

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man’s injuries have left him unable to shower for 20 days after he was attacked by a slingshot-wielding TriMet passenger, court documents show.

The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Joseph Naes, was arraigned in Multnomah County circuit court on Monday.

According to the affidavit, a Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chris McCune responded to reports of a stabbing that occurred near a MAX stop on East Burnside on Wednesday, July 17. The deputy watched surveillance footage of the incident, in which Naes appears to use a slingshot to shoot a man in the back with an arrow.

By the time McCune arrived, the suspect had left the scene and the victim was hospitalized. He told the deputy he saw Naes harassing a woman the week beforehand, and intervened in the situation. He confirmed that the woman seen with Naes on the day of the attack was the same woman he had been with previously, authorities said.

Court records revealed the victim has a pierced lung cavity and now requires a tube to drain the fluid. He also informed law enforcement that he hadn’t been able to lift his right arm since he was shot with the 8-to-12-inch arrow.

The Gresham Police Department took the suspect into custody on Friday. He had an interview with Multnomah County detectives that same day.

Naes confessed to intentionally shooting the victim after his previous interaction with him, according to the affidavit. Documents also show that Gresham police were investigating a domestic violence incident that matches the incident described by both the victim and suspect.

Detectives said Naes had the slingshot, four arrows, a meth pipe, a small amount of meth and two passports that belonged to minors in his possession when he was arrested.

He now faces a misdemeanor charge of interfering with public transportation, and felony charges of first-degree assault, second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.