Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged a man with committing a terrorist attack, alleging he poured gasoline on a woman and chased her through a Chicago train car before setting her on fire.
Lawrence Reed was sitting at the back of a car on a Blue Line L train Monday night when he approached the woman as she sat with her back to him and doused her with gasoline from a plastic beverage bottle, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday.
The 26-year-old woman fought off the man as he tried to ignite the gas, the complaint states. She then ran from one end of the car to the other as Reed chased her, investigators said, citing surveillance video from the train. Reed eventually caught with her, at which point he ignited the bottle and used it to set her on fire, according to the complaint.
The federal charge against Reed, 50, of Chicago, carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
During his first appearance in a federal court on Wednesday afternoon, Reed made multiple outbursts, yelling over the judge that he wanted to represent himself and claiming that he was a Chinese citizen.
Reed repeatedly shouted, “I am guilty, and I will be my own attorney!” as the judge tried to advise him of his rights, reported CBS Chicago.
Surveillance video showed Reed at a gas station about 30 minutes before the attack, filling a small container with gasoline, the complaint states.
After the attack, Reed got off the train at the next stop in downtown Chicago, walking away as the woman stumbled out and fell to the ground. She was taken to a hospital in critical condition with severe burns to her head and body, authorities said. Officials have not released her name.
Chicago police said that when they arrested Reed on Tuesday, he made incriminating statements about the attack. He was wearing the same clothes as the man who attacked the woman and had burns on his right hand, according to an ATF arrest affidavit.
Reed carried out the attack “with the intent to cause death and serious bodily injury to one or more persons” on the train, an ATF investigator wrote.
At a news conference after Reed’s court appearance, federal officials expressed frustration that he was free at the time of the attack, saying he had a long criminal history while providing few details. They said more information would be discussed at a Friday detention hearing.
“Lawrence Reed had no business being on the streets given that his violent criminal history and his pending criminal cases,” ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Christopher Amon said. “Reed 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.”
U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said that if the victim were to die from her injuries, the case could be eligible for the death penalty. Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011.
Asked about Reed’s mental health, Boutros said he was not aware of Reed ever legally being declared mentally incompetent. The judge and prosecutor on Wednesday agreed Reed will undergo medical mental evaluation.
The attack drew comparisons to an August stabbing on a commuter train in Charlotte, N.C., that left a young woman dead. Federal authorities have charged a man with fatally stabbing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, in an apparent random attack.
Chicago and other Democratic-led cities have been the focus of intense criticism from President Trump and his administration, who have characterized them as crime-ridden despite a drop in violent crime after a pandemic-era spike.
In a post on social media Tuesday night, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy highlighted the Chicago train attack.
“This horrific attack is EXACTLY why we need communities to take safety seriously. Blue cities cannot allow another Iryna Zarutska to happen,” Duffy wrote on X.
The Chicago Transit Authority said it was working with police in the investigation and that it has a multipronged approach to security that includes the use of surveillance cameras.
