A man accused of setting a woman on fire on a Chicago commuter train has been found to be a serial offender. Lawrence Reed was charged Wednesday with terrorizing, with federal prosecutors saying he doused a woman in gasoline and chased her in a train car in Chicago before setting her on fire.
Chicago police said when they arrested Reed on Tuesday morning, he made an incriminating statement about the attack, according to the Associated Press. He was wearing the same clothes as the man who attacked the woman and had burns on his right hand, according to the affidavit.
Reed carried out the attack “with intent to cause death and serious injury to one or more persons” on the train, an ATF investigator wrote.
Reed, who allegedly yelled “burn alive b—h” when he was arrested, was ordered to remain behind bars during a court hearing Friday.
Who is Lawrence Reed?
Lawrence Reed, 50, allegedly doused a 26-year-old woman in gasoline on a CTA Blue Line train and later set her on fire Monday night.
Lawrence Reed is said to be a serial offender. He reportedly had more than 70 previous arrests. It reportedly emerged that Reed was on a pretrial release on a battery charge at the time of the incident.
Records show Reed was previously arrested 72 times in Cook County alone and convicted in 15 of those cases, the feds said in court documents, according to the New York Post.
“But the maniac never served time and was only given probation despite being convicted of an arson incident in April 2020,” court documents show.
At a press conference after Reed’s court appearance, federal officials expressed frustration that he was at large at the time of the attack, saying he had a long criminal history, while providing few details.
“Lawrence Reed had no business being on the street given his violent criminal history and pending criminal cases,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon.
“Reed has had a lot of second chances from the criminal justice system and as a result you have an innocent victim in the hospital fighting for his life,” Amon was quoted as saying by the AP.
When asked about Reed’s mental health, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros reportedly said he was unaware that Reed had ever been legally declared mentally incompetent.
Chicago news outlets previously reported that Reed was disruptive during his first appearance in federal court Wednesday afternoon, including yelling at the judge that he wanted to represent himself and claiming to be a Chinese citizen.
Reed shouted, “I plead guilty!” repeatedly as the judge tried to educate him about his rights, according to local reports.
what was the incident?
Lawrence Reed was sitting in the back of a Blue Line L train car Monday night when he approached the woman as she sat with her back to him and doused her with gasoline that was in a plastic drink bottle, according to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives affidavit.
The 26-year-old woman pushed the man away when he tried to light the gas and then ran from one end of the car to the other as Reed chased her, the investigator said in the affidavit, citing train video.
Reed then lit the bottle, approached the woman and lit her on fire, according to the affidavit.
The federal charge against Reed, 50, of Chicago, carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Chicago fire sparks debate
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has joined the debate over US criminal justice after it was revealed that the man accused of setting a woman on fire on a Chicago commuter train was a serial offender.
In a post on X, Musk said: “It’s unbelievably cruel of so many judges to push murderous thugs on the innocent public! And double shame on whoever funds them for it.”
Formerly, Secretary Sean Duffy said, “It’s devastating that a career criminal with 72 PRIOR ARRESTS is now accused of attacking and setting fire to 26-year-old Bethany MaGee on the L train in Chicago.”
“This would never have happened if this thug was behind bars. Yet Chicago lets repeat offenders roam the streets,” he added.
“The carelessness in Chicago puts the American people at risk. No one should ever fear for their life on the subway,” he said.
