CHICAGO — A chilling attack on a Chicago train has left a 26-year-old woman fighting for her life and raised questions about repeat offenders in the city’s justice system.
Lawrence Reed, 50, was arrested Nov. 18 after allegedly pouring gasoline over a woman and setting her on fire while she rode the Blue Line “L” through downtown Chicago on Nov. 17, the Department of Justice announced
Reed has been charged with committing a terrorist attack against a mass transportation system—a federal offense that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
According to a criminal complaint, Reed bought gasoline from a local station, carried it onto the train, and targeted the woman from behind. Surveillance footage and witness accounts reportedly show him chasing her down the train after dousing her, then igniting the fuel.
The victim, identified as Bethany MaGee, remains hospitalized in serious condition, NBC Chicago reports.
Reed’s criminal record is staggering. Prosecutors say he has been arrested 72 times over three decades, starting at age 18, and holds eight felony and seven misdemeanor convictions. At the time of the attack, he was under electronic monitoring for a pending aggravated battery charge stemming from an alleged assault on a social worker in August.
“This is devastating,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a public post on X. “A career criminal with 72 prior arrests is now accused of brutally attacking 26-year-old Bethany MaGee on Chicago’s L train.”
Reed is currently representing himself in court and was ordered held without bail. While federal prosecutors have indicated that a death penalty enhancement could apply if MaGee does not survive, the death penalty was abolished in Illinois in 2011.
This shocking incident has reignited debate over public safety, repeat offenders, and the vulnerabilities of mass transit systems in major cities.
