Chicago Train Attack: Man with 49 Arrests Charged with Terrorism After Setting Woman on Fire
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A 50-year-old Chicago man, Lawrence Reed, has been charged with terrorism for allegedly setting a 26-year-old woman on fire on a CTA Blue Line train on Monday night. The victim is currently hospitalized in critical condition with severe burns. According to charging documents, Reed approached the woman from behind, doused her with what is believed to be gasoline, and then ignited the liquid, causing the woman to run to the back of the train car. He then set her ablaze. Surveillance footage showed Reed filling a small container with gasoline at a gas station about 30 minutes before the attack. The train pulled into a stop downtown after the attack, and Reed walked away. The victim, severely injured, stumbled out and collapsed on the platform. She was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County with severe burns to her head and body. Reed has a long history of violent crimes, with 49 arrests, including 10 felony cases. He was previously accused of setting a fire outside the Thompson Center in April 2020, punching four women outside the Harold Washington Library in 2020, and lighting a fire outside Chicago's City Hall last week. Reed's behavior in court on Wednesday was described as disruptive, with him yelling that he wanted to represent himself and claiming to be a Chinese citizen. He also shouted 'I plead guilty!' repeatedly. ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Chris Amon said, 'Lawrence Reed had no business being on the streets, given his violent criminal history and his pending criminal cases. He had plenty of second chances by the criminal justice system, and as a result, you have an innocent victim in the hospital fighting for her life.' The attack drew comparisons to the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was ambushed and stabbed to death on a Charlotte light rail train by Decarlos Brown Jr in August. The 23-year-old woman had fled her war-torn home to seek safety in the US.
