Lawrence Reed, the man charged with the brutal attack on a CTA Blue Line L train, where he is alleged to have poured gasoline over a woman and set her on fire, was previously on home detention, per the Chicago Sun-Times. On Monday, around 9 p.m., authorities say the attack took place at the Clark and Lake streets downtown station. The victim, despite suffering severe burns throughout her body, was able to exit the train and receive assistance on the platform.
According to federal court records, Reed, aged 50, is facing a separate aggravated battery charge in Cook County criminal court for an incident that occurred on August 19 at MacNeal Hospital. There, he reportedly attacked a social worker while being a psychiatric patient. Despite Reed's history of curfew violations, which included several instances just before the CTA attack, his pretrial case officer did not report these to the judge until two days post the incident, the Sun-Times reports. This delay in communication has highlighted faults in the electronic monitoring program, after its supervision was transferred from Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to Chief Cook County Judge Timothy Evans earlier this year
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Reed is now facing a federal terrorism charge on allegations of committing a terrorist attack against a mass transportation system, as detailed by a criminal complaint cited by NBC News. Security footage from the time of the crime shows Reed holding a bottle that he appeared to fill with gasoline from a convenience store before boarding the train. Following the attack, police investigating the scene found a lighter, a partially melted bottle, and a clear "suspected ignitable liquid" in the vicinity of where the victim had been sitting.
Reed's arrest occurred on Tuesday morning, with sources alleging that he sported the same attire he had on during the incident and had sustained "fire related injuries to his right hand." Further emphasizing the graveness of his actions, Reed reportedly shouted "burn b----" and "burn alive b----" whilst in transit to the detective division. During his court appearance on Wednesday, he declined counsel, started to sing so as not to hear the judge, and proclaimed "I plead guilty!" according to NBC News. Given these developments, the judge and prosecutor agreed on a mental health evaluation for Reed.
The victim, sources revealed, remains under the care of Stroger Hospital, with her family thanking those who extended prayers and well wishes. In a statement obtained by NBC News, the family expressed gratitude for the support from the burn team at Stroger Hospital and requested privacy as they focus on their daughter's recovery.
