3 more public transit attacks dial up discomfort among riders, officials
Another wave of violence struck public transit in Los Angeles County on Monday and Tuesday, with three separate instances occurring in a 24-hour period on or near buses and train stations.
Police have announced an arrest related to Tuesday’s attack but members of the public and local officials are rattled.
In addition to the two stabbings on Monday night — one on a bus in Glendale and another in an elevator at the Vermont/Athens Station in South Los Angeles — a man was robbed of his cell phone and struck with pliers on a bus in Encino Tuesday afternoon.
The victim suffered only minor injuries, and police identified the culprit of the incident near Ventura Boulevard and Balboa Avenue as Michael R. Lindsey, 39, an unhoused man who now faces a robbery charge and is being held on $1.12 million bail.
The spate follows a growing list of violent incidents on and near public transportation in Los Angeles County, and riders told KTLA’s Lauren Lyster that they’re unsettled by recent events.
“You just never know,” one person said. “You never know who you’re standing next to, who you’re sitting next to.”
L.A. County Supervisor and Metro board member Kathryn Barger told KTLA more needs to be done to combat homelessness, as public transportation is quickly affected by failings in housing and mental health care.
“At the end of the day, the transit system is really ground zero for what’s happening on our streets, especially those that are unhoused and ending up on our transit system,” she said.
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