This weekend, federal officials recognized the 26-year-old woman who was set on fire by a fellow passenger on a Chicago train earlier this month via social media.
In a social media post on Sunday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy identified the victim as Bethany MaGee and advocated for more proactive policing, citing the suspect’s prior criminal background.
MaGee was set on fire while aboard a blue line L train in downtown Chicago on Monday, November 17th.
Lawrence Reed was arrested the next day and charged with setting MaGee on fire, resulting in burns on more than half of her body, according to CBS Chicago.
CBS, ABC 7, and NBC 5 Chicago reported that the 50-year-old suspect was under court-ordered electronic surveillance at the time of the alleged incident.
Reed was under electronic monitoring at the time in connection with charges stemming from an alleged August attack on a social worker in a mental health facility, which left the alleged victim unconscious and in need of continued medical care, according to the outlets.
According to reports, Reed has an extensive criminal record that includes at least ten felony counts and dozens of smaller arrests. “This is an absolute failure of our criminal justice and mental health institutions,” Mayor Brandon Johnson stated last week, according to ABC 7.
A federal criminal complaint acquired by PEOPLE claims Reed filled a small bottle with gasoline at a nearby gas station approximately 20 minutes before the attack. The suspect then allegedly boarded a blue line train and approached MaGee from behind, dousing her with gasoline and pursuing her to the back of the train car, attempting to set her on fire.
According to the criminal complaint, Reed allegedly set MaGee on fire before continuously yelling “burn b—!” and “burn alive b—!”.
MaGee was able to escape the train car as it arrived at the Lake & Clark station in Chicago’s downtown Loop district, collapsing on the passenger platform as bystanders raced to assist her. The federal criminal complaint stated that MaGee suffered “severe burns to her face and body.”
“The surveillance video is difficult to watch, and very disturbing, as a young woman was set ablaze and attempted to extinguish herself, while other passengers got out of the way or watched,” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros told CBS.
Reed is now facing terrorism charges in the aftermath of the incident.
According to ABC 7 Chicago, Reed refused to have a public counsel represent him at his first court appearance last Friday and attempted to plead guilty to the attack, but the judge disallowed his plea because the session was just to establish charges. According to the site, U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura McNally ordered Reed to be remanded in custody until his next hearing, citing a danger to others.
