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 on 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 beverage bottle, according to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrest affidavit.
The 26-year-old woman fought off the man as he tried to ignite the gas, then she ran from one end of the car to the other as Reed chased her, an investigator said in the affidavit, citing surveillance video from the train. Reed then ignited the bottle, approached the woman and set her on fire, according to the affidavit.
The federal charge against Reed, 50, of Chicago, carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Federal court records do not show whether Reed has an attorney representing him in the case. Chicago news outlets reported that Reed was disruptive during his first appearance in a federal court on Wednesday afternoon, including yelling over the judge that he wanted to represent himself and claiming that he was a Chinese citizen.
Reed shouted, “I plead guilty!” repeatedly as the judge tried to advise him of his rights, according to local news reports.
Surveillance video showed Reed at a gas station about 30 minutes before the attack, filling a small container with gasoline, the affidavit says.
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, police said. 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 morning 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 the affidavit.
Reed carried out the attack “with the intent to cause death and serious bodily injury to one or more persons” on the train, the ATF investigator wrote.
Chicago police did not answer questions Wednesday by The Associated Press on whether it had or would refer charges against Reed to state prosecutors, saying questions should be directed to federal authorities.
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.
“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.
Federal officials also said more information about Reed’s criminal history would be discussed at a Friday detention hearing.
The attack drew comparisons to an August stabbing on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina, 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 Donald 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 on 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.