Overview
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy named the victim as 26-year-old Bethany MaGee, who is being treated for severe burns in a Chicago burn unit.
- Prosecutors allege 50-year-old Lawrence Reed poured gasoline on MaGee aboard a CTA Blue Line train on Nov. 17, ignited it, and fled as she collapsed at the Clark/Lake station.
- Reed was arrested the next day wearing clothing seen in surveillance footage and with burns on his hands, after images showed him buying gasoline minutes before the attack.
- He is charged under a federal statute protecting mass transit from terrorist attacks and is being held pending proceedings after a judge ordered a mental health evaluation following a disruptive court appearance.
- Court records and officials say Reed has a long arrest history and was on electronic monitoring in an unrelated case, intensifying debate over supervision and public transit safety.