Man Accused Of Setting Woman On Fire Federal Charges

Downtown Chicago with office buildings and the L-train — Source: Michael Valdez / Getty

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors filed terrorism charges against 50-year-old Lawrence Reed for allegedly setting a woman on fire.

According to CNN, the incident occurred Monday night on Chicago’s L train. Security footage shows a man who appears to be Reed sitting in the back of the train before approaching the 26-year-old woman, who was sitting with her back turned to him. An affidavit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) alleges that Reed opened a plastic bottle and poured what is presumed to be gasoline on the woman.

According to reports, the woman ran to the back of the train, and Reed followed her. He set the bottle on fire and threw it at the woman, setting her on fire. The train made a stop downtown after the attack, where the woman stumbled out of the train before collapsing on the platform, while Reed could be seen walking away from the scene.

“The surveillance video is difficult to watch and is very disturbing, as a young woman was set ablaze and tried to put herself out, while other passengers got out of the way or watched,” Andrew Boutros, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said during a news conference. “When the train stopped and the victim was able to muster the strength to stumble on the platform, two good Samaritans put out the flames.”

The woman was hospitalized in critical condition and suffered severe burns to her head and body. Officials have not released the name of the victim. According to WGN9, surveillance footage shows Lawrence Reed filling a small bottle with gasoline at a Citgo gas station shortly before boarding the train. When authorities found Reed on Tuesday morning, he was wearing the same clothes as the man in the surveillance footage, and they observed fire-related injuries on his hands.

Lawrence Reed behaved erratically from his arrest up to his court appearance on Wednesday afternoon. He allegedly spat on federal agents while in lockup and was disruptive while appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura McNally. He repeatedly shouted over McNally and yelled, “I plead guilty! I plead guilty!” while she tried to explain the purpose of the hearing. Reed told the court that he would represent himself and added that he was a Chinese citizen.

“I would like the Chinese consulate to be notified I’m here,” Reed said in court. Law enforcement has confirmed that Lawrence Reed was born in the United States. Federal prosecutors charged Reed with committing a terrorist attack against a mass transportation system. Should he be found guilty, he faces a potential maximum sentence of life in prison. It’s unclear if state officials will also file charges against Reed.

I think we can all agree that this is an objectively horrifying situation, but of course, the Trump administration had to find a way to politicize it. “This horrific attack is EXACTLY why we need communities to take safety seriously. Blue cities cannot allow another Iryna Zarutska to happen,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote in a post on X.

Duffy was referencing the tragic death of Iryna Zarutska, who died after being stabbed while riding a light rail in Charlotte, North Carolina. The GOP has tried to capitalize on Zarutska’s death and now this horrific attack in Chicago to push the narrative that crime is out of control in cities with Democratic leadership. Despite the horrifying and high-profile nature of these crimes, data consistently shows that violent crime has been trending downward.

Simply taking a cursory look at the evidence reveals that both Iryna Zarutska’s death and the Chicago train fire were committed by folks who likely have some underlying mental health issues. If the GOP is serious about trying to combat these crimes, maybe it should restore federal funding for mental health services or even provide security funding for public transportation, as opposed to simply blaming the Democrats.

I guess that’d be too much like doing the job they’re paid to do, though.

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