Chicago man accused in train attack is also charged with attempted arson in City Hall fire
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CHICAGO (AP) — A man accused of setting a woman on fire on a Chicago train last month has been indicted on an additional charge alleging he attempted to set City Hall on fire days before the train attack.
Prosecutors say Lawrence Reed, 50, “maliciously damaged and attempted to damage and destroy, by means of fire,” Chicago’s City Hall building on Nov. 14, according to court records released Thursday.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson described the Nov. 14 arson attempt days after it occurred, saying someone tried to start a fire outside of the building but that it did not spread beyond the initial flames or cause damage.
“It goes without saying that this type of violence has no place in our politics,” Johnson said.
In connection with the Nov. 17 train attack, Reed was charged in November with committing a terrorist attack, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Reed was sitting at the back of a Chicago Blue Line L train when he approached the woman as she sat with her back to him and doused her with gasoline, 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 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.
Images from the surveillance video were presented in court in November before a judge agreed to keep Reed in jail pending trial for the attack, which has garnered national attention. The hearing also confirmed a variety of court and law enforcement records dating back more than 30 years that detail 50-year-old Lawrence Reed’s frequent contact with police in and around Chicago.
Reed’s unusual courtroom behavior, including shouting “I plead guilty!” repeatedly as the judge spoke, also made national headlines.