A man fended off two attackers in downtown Portland Friday by stabbing one of them, Portland police said.

Investigators concluded the stabbing was an act of self-defense, said Sgt. Kevin Allen, a Portland Police spokesman.

He said the assault occurred around 1:30 p.m. after two men started trailing the man as he walked past Lovejoy Fountain near Southwest Harrison Street and Third Avenue. The pair attacked the man two blocks later.

One person held the man down as the second person punched and kicked him, Allen said. The man used a knife to stab one of suspects, and after that, the second suspect ran away, Allen said.

Neither the man nor the person who attacked him sustained life-threatening injuries. The suspect, identified as 37-year-old Timothy J. Maxwell, was booked into jail after he was released from the hospital Saturday morning, officials said.

Police are still searching for the second assailant and have not said what may have led to the attack.

—Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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