Two men were stabbed to death Friday on a light-rail train in Portland, Oregon after a man yelled racial slurs at two young women who appeared to be Muslim, one of whom was wearing a hijab, police said. A third man sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The men tried to intervene after the suspect, whom authorities identified as 35-year-old Jeremy Joseph Christian of Portland, began ranting on many topics, using "hate speech or biased language," and then turned his focus on the women, police Sgt. Pete Simpson said.

"In the midst of his ranting and raving, some people approached him and appeared to try to intervene with his behavior and some of the people that he was yelling at," Simpson told The Oregonian. "They were attacked viciously."

One person was dead at the scene and another died at a hospital, Simpson said. The third person was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23, and Ricky John Best, 53, were both killed trying to stop the attack. A third man, Micah David-Cole Fletcher, 21, was stabbed as well but is being treated in a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Namkai-Meche was a 2016 graduate from Reed College and was interning in Portland when the attack occurred. "He will live in our hearts forever as the just, brave, loving, hilarious, and beautiful soul he was," Namkai-Meche's sister Alaya-Maitreya told BuzzFeed. "We ask that in honor of his memory, we use this tragedy as an opportunity for reflection and change. We choose love."

Best was a Portland city employee and army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is also the father of four children, The Oregonian reported. He was on his way home when he tried to stop the attacker. "He was always the first person you would go to for help," Best's supervisor said. "I've talked to most of his coworkers today, and several of them said it's just like Rick to step in and help somebody out."

Fletcher's friends also told BuzzFeed they were not surprised their friend came to another person's aid, saying he is a "deeply empathetic" person who frequently came to the defense of others.

Face, Hair, Forehead, Chin, Facial hair, Head, Eyebrow, Nose, Cheek, Beard,
Portland Police Bureau
Scott Christian

It wasn't clear why the man was yelling, Simpson said.

"He was talking about a lot of different things, not just specifically anti-Muslim," Simpson said.

Police don't know if the man has mental health issues or if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time.

Christian was arrested on two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of second-degree intimidation, and being a felon in possession of a restricted weapon.

According to the Portland Mercury, Christian is known locally as a right-wing extremist and a white supremacist. He showed up to a right-wing March for Free Speech on April 29 with a baseball bat, which police quickly confiscated. The Mercury said he planned to use the bat to assault left-wing protesters. Christian also shouted racial slurs and gave the Nazi salute.

Doug Brown, a reporter at the Mercury, captured video of Christian arriving at the rally:

Friday's attack happened around 4:30 p.m. on a MAX train as it headed east. Evelin Hernandez, a 38-year-old resident of Clackamas, Oregon, told The Oregonian she was on the train when the man began making racist remarks to the women. A group of men tried to quiet him and he stabbed them, she said.

Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23, and Ricky John Best, 53, were both killed trying to stop the attack. A third man, Micah David-Cole Fletcher, 21, was stabbed as well but is being treated in a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Namkai-Meche was a 2016 graduate from Reed Collegeand was interning in Portland when the attack occurred. "He will live in our hearts forever as the just, brave, loving, hilarious, and beautiful soul he was," Namkai-Meche's sister Alaya-Maitreya told BuzzFeed. "We ask that in honor of his memory, we use this tragedy as an opportunity for reflection and change. We choose love."

Best was a Portland city employee and army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is also the father of four children, The Oregonian reported. He was on his way home when he tried to stop the attacker. "He was always the first person you would go to for help," Best's supervisor said. "I've talked to most of his coworkers today, and several of them said it's just like Rick to step in and help somebody out."

Fletcher's friends also told BuzzFeed they were not surprised their friend came to another person's aid, saying he is a "deeply empathetic" person who frequently came to the defense of others.

Simpson said the women understandably left the scene before police were able to talk with them but that they would like to hear from them to help fill in what happened.

"It's horrific," Simpson said. "There's no other word to describe what happened today."

Millions of Muslims marked the start of Ramadan Friday, a time of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.

This story has been updated to identify the victims.