Chicago train fire attack shows why ‘decarceration’ policies are putting lives at risk: expert

The antheral accused of randomly mounting a pistillate connected occurrence portion connected a Chicago transit bid this week has been slapped with a national coercion charge, marking the latest lawsuit of unit connected nationalist transit that continues to plague the country. 

Lawrence Reed, 50, is charged with 1 number of committing a violent onslaught oregon different unit against a wide proscription system, the Northern District of Illinois U.S. Attorney’s Office said successful a statement. 

Reed was riding connected the city’s Blue Line L bid astatine astir 9 p.m. Monday erstwhile helium approached a 26-year-old pistillate from down and doused her with gasoline from a integrative portion bottle, according to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives apprehension affidavit.

The pistillate managed to combat Reed disconnected arsenic helium attempted to ignite the gas, past ran from 1 extremity of the car to the different portion Reed continued to pursuit her, the affidavit said, citing surveillance video from the train. Reed subsequently ignited the bottle, approached the unfortunate and utilized it to acceptable her connected fire, prosecutors said.

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Lawrence Reed, 50, is charged with allegedly committing a violent onslaught oregon unit against a wide proscription system, according to officials. (Chicago Police Department)

"Reed past ran to the beforehand of the bid car and stood watching [the victim] arsenic her assemblage was engulfed successful flames," the affidavit said. 

Additional surveillance video revealed Reed visited a state presumption astir 20 minutes earlier the onslaught to capable the vessel with fuel, according to the affidavit. He past allegedly walked to the bid station, wherever helium boarded an arriving car and executed his attack. 

Immediately pursuing the attack, Reed exited the bid astatine the adjacent halt successful downtown Chicago, prosecutors said. The pistillate besides stumbled retired of the bid and fell to the ground, and was subsequently transported to a infirmary successful captious information aft sustaining terrible burns to her caput and body, according to authorities. 

Reed was taken into custody connected Tuesday greeting with pain marks connected his manus and wearing the aforesaid apparel arsenic the fishy seen successful surveillance footage carrying retired the attack, the affidavit said. 

While successful constabulary custody, Reed allegedly made "repeated spontaneous and unprompted utterances," including yelling, "burn b----" and "burn live b----," according to the affidavit.

Additionally, investigators recovered a partially melted bottle, wide liquid and lighter from the woman’s bid seat.

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Train footage shows Reed allegedly coming up down a 26-year-old and pouring the liquid connected her caput and body. (U.S. District Court)

He was subsequently turned implicit to national authorities connected Wednesday. 

In a quality league connected Wednesday, prosecutors reviewed Reed’s sprawling transgression past dating backmost to 2017, including a felony aggravated arson complaint stemming from an alleged incidental successful which Reed was accused of starting a occurrence astatine the Thompson Center, wherever Gov. JB Pritzker was holding a regular COVID-19 briefing. 

"If you conscionable locked up the habitual offenders, including those who person intelligence illness, the conditions successful not lone Chicago and New York – but different bluish cities – would beryllium appreciably better," retired NYPD inspector Paul Mauro told Fox News Digital. "They conscionable won't bash it due to the fact that of this decarceration movement, and it doesn't correlate – adjacent if you judge the thought that transgression is going down successful definite categories." 

In summation to the erstwhile arson charge, Reed has been arrested astatine slightest 13 abstracted times for charges ranging from transgression harm to authorities spot to battle and battery, according to FOX32. 

In February 2020, Reed faced misdemeanor artillery charges for allegedly punching women successful the look successful what appeared to beryllium random attacks, the outlet reported. He was reportedly arrested aboriginal successful the period for a akin incident, successful which prosecutors allege helium slapped a 42-year-old antheral successful the look astatine the Halsted CTA Blue Line platform. 

He was aboriginal released connected recognizance bonds successful some cases, FOX32 reported.

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Footage showed Reed allegedly purchasing the items utilized successful the onslaught from a adjacent state station. (U.S. District Court)

In August, Reed faced charges of aggravated artillery aft allegedly assaulting a pistillate astatine a psychiatric hospital, according to CWB Chicago. 

Although prosecutors requested to support him successful custody, Reed was yet released with an ankle monitor. 

"The bottommost enactment is determination is simply a recidivist people that is incorrigible and that we conscionable don't enforce against – and it ne'er ends," Mauro said. 

Reed’s erratic behaviour continued arsenic helium allegedly spat connected national agents portion successful custody, according to WGN. He past reportedly continued to beryllium disruptive erstwhile helium entered the courtroom connected Wednesday by repeatedly shouting implicit U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura McNally. 

"I plead guilty, I plead guilty," Reed reportedly said, according to the outlet. 

McNally reportedly attempted to proceed the proceeding arsenic Reed repeatedly interrupted.

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"I’m going to speech to you," McNally said, to which Reed replied, saying, "Don’t speech to me." 

When asked if helium knew the maximum condemnation was beingness successful prison, Reed reportedly responded, telling the judge, "It’s cool, it’s cool, it’s cool." 

The interruptions continued with Reed telling the judge, "I’m guilty," portion besides claiming to beryllium a Chinese citizen, according to WGN. 

Reed’s behaviour could bespeak that his defence squad would prosecute an insanity plea, according to Mauro. However, helium added that the load of impervious regarding intelligence competency falls strictly connected the defendant. 

"The lone mode that he's going to get disconnected connected an insanity defence is [by proving] a effect of a terrible intelligence illness oregon defect, the suspect was incapable to admit the quality and quality, oregon the wrongfulness of his acts," Mauro told Fox News Digital. "The load of impervious is connected him." 

U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros reportedly said helium had not been made alert of Reed ever being legally declared arsenic mentally incompetent.

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Lawrence Reed was allegedly wearing the aforesaid covering arsenic the fishy seen connected surveillance footage lighting a 26-year-old pistillate connected occurrence erstwhile authorities confronted him 1 time later, according to national prosecutors. (U.S. District Court)

Reed is charged with 1 number of committing a violent onslaught oregon different unit against a wide proscription system, a sparsely utilized complaint that hinges connected a convulsive enactment taking spot connected nationalist transit, according to Mauro. 

"The charges are going to clasp up," Mauro said. "You don’t spot this complaint precise often, but it is simply a coercion offense. The national complaint is going to clasp up – this is not showboating." 

Mauro points to the Trump medication perchance bringing national charges successful this lawsuit to nonstop a connection to predominantly Democratic cities with relaxed bail laws. 

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"I deliberation it sends a connection that the feds are taking the lawsuit due to the fact that they don’t spot the section prosecutor," Mauro said. "But I don’t deliberation that that connection is received, and the connection is ‘We’re taking this and charging it, due to the fact that you guys had [13] shots astatine this feline and you didn’t get it done." 

At a Wednesday quality conference, national agents expressed vexation that Reed was escaped to roam the streets astatine the clip of the attack, portion pointing to his extended transgression history, according to the Associated Press. 

"Lawrence Reed had nary concern being connected the streets fixed his convulsive transgression past and his pending transgression cases," ATF Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division Christopher Amon said. "Reed had plentifulness of 2nd chances by the transgression justness strategy and arsenic a effect you person an guiltless unfortunate successful the infirmary warring for her life."

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On Thursday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned the convulsive act, portion adding that it appears to beryllium an "isolated incident." 

"This is evidently a tragedy, and it's the calamity of 1 of the worst of its kind, and we're hoping, of course, that everyone tin heal successful this moment," Johnson said, aboriginal adding, "As atrocious and arsenic horrific arsenic this calamity is, this is an isolated incident." 

Reed is facing the anticipation of beingness successful prison, with Boutros adding that if the unfortunate were to dice from her injuries, the national lawsuit could beryllium eligible for the decease penalty. 

The Cook County State Attorney’s Office and Chicago Police Department did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions regarding whether officials would record authorities charges against Reed. 

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The lawsuit has reignited concerns surrounding nationalist information connected wide transit systems and repetition offenders being released onto the streets, with Mauro insisting the unit volition stay arsenic agelong arsenic criminals proceed to beryllium fto retired of jail. 

"It conscionable means that each clip you get connected the subway oregon adjacent locomotion the streets, it's Russian roulette," Mauro said. "And if it’s your atrocious luck that day, you’re going to find retired wherefore these policies are truthful detrimental." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.