Overview
- The attack left 26-year-old Bethany MaGee in critical condition after a man allegedly doused her with gasoline and set her on fire on a CTA train.
- Prosecutors say the suspect, 50-year-old Lawrence Reed, has 72 prior arrests and eight felony convictions and was on electronic monitoring after a judge denied a request to keep him jailed.
- Court records indicate Reed repeatedly violated monitoring conditions in the days before the Nov. 17 attack, following an August release ordered by Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez.
- President Donald Trump labeled Chicago crime "out of control," criticized local judges and leadership, and urged Illinois to accept National Guard or federal assistance, even referencing the Insurrection Act.
- The White House blamed Illinois' no-cash-bail policy and what it called liberal soft-on-crime decisions, while Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson rejected federal intervention as unlawful.