Transient Charged With Hate Crime In Portland

PORTLAND, OR — "All I said was that I hate (expletive slur)," Joshua M. Castillo told Portland police after his arrest Monday. Castillo, a 33-year-old transient, is charged with menacing and intimidation for allegedly approaching a woman, pulling a knife, and threatening to kill her as she got off a bus in downtown Portland.

The victim, 63-year-old Janet Mack, told KGW News the experience petrified her, and now she's afraid "because I don't know what provokes people like that."

Mack said she got off the bus around 1 p.m. at the corner of Southwest Columbia Street and 12th Avenue Aug. 27. As she was crossing the street Castillo approached her.

"Next thing I know, there's a knife in my face and he says it again, 'I'm going to kill you, I'm going to chop you up you n----- b----,'" Mack told KGW. "At this point I'm running. I cross the street, he's coming behind me with a knife. So I zig over to the other side of the street. So at this point I'm calling 911."

Responding officers searched the area and eventually found Castillo near Southwest Park Avenue and Southwest Main Street, where he was arrested without incident. Also while searching for Castillo, officers reportedly found the knife they believe Castillo used when threatening Mack.

While speaking with Multnomah County jail officers following his arrest, Castillo became agitated and said there was no victim of any crime, "but that there was an unknown female present at the time," officers reported.

Castillo then reportedly stated, "All I said was that I hate f------ n------," before walking away from the recognizance officer interview.

Photo via Portland Police Bureau.