Man Charged With Terrorism in Chicago Train Fire Attack

Federal charges were filed on Wednesday against a man accused of setting a woman on fire on a CTA Blue Line train in downtown Chicago this week.

Lawrence Reed, 50, was charged in a criminal complaint with committing a terrorist attack or other violence on a mass transportation system — a federal offense rather than a state offense.

Andrew Boutros, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said the 26-year-old victim was minding her own business and reading her phone on an O'Hare-bound Blue Line train around 9 p.m. Monday when Reed came up and set her on fire with no provocation whatsoever.

"The surveillance video is difficult to watch, and very disturbing, as a young woman was set ablaze, and tried to put herself out, while other passengers got out of the way or watched," Boutros said.

Chicago police investigators obtained surveillance footage from Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line train car No. 3236, which showed the victim sitting on a seat in the middle of the train car, according to a federal court affidavit. Reed was sitting in the back of the same train car.

The surveillance footage showed Reed standing up with a bottle in hand, walking up to the victim — who was seated with her back toward him — and pouring a liquid from the bottle all over her body. Reed then tried to ignite the liquid, the affidavit said.

At first, the victim fought off Reed and ran to the front of the train, the affidavit said. But Reed chased her and dropped the bottle on the floor, the affidavit said.

The victim then ran to the rear of the train car, the affidavit said.

Reed then picked up the bottle, which was now on fire, the affidavit said. He approached the victim, set her on fire using the bottle, and stood and watched as he body was engulfed in flames, the affidavit said.

The woman, who was almost fully engulfed in flames, tried to put out the fire by rolling on the floor of the train car, the affidavit said. When the train stopped at Clark/Lake, the woman was still on fire.

The woman exited the train at the station and collapsed on the platform.

"She was running off the train towards the middle of it, completely engulfed in fire," said witness Christopher Flores.

On the platform, bystanders attended to the woman, the affidavit said.

"I went over to see what's going on, said Flores. "She's on the ground crying. Burnt to a crisp."

In an affidavit, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives Special Agent Adam Fitzgerald said investigators found the woman lying on her back with severe burns to her face and body.

Sources said more than half of the woman's body was burned. CBS Chicago obtained video of the aftermath, which shows a woman with significant burns on her head.

The victim was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County, where authorities said she remained in critical condition as of late Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Reed also got off the train at Clark/Lake and left the scene after the attack.

Investigators found a partially melted bottle, a lighter, the ignitable liquid, and the burned remains of the woman's clothing in the train car, the affidavit said.

Investigators also found surveillance video from a Citgo gas station at 3537 W. Harrison St. about 20 minutes before the attack. In this video, Reed is seen wearing the same clothing as he was wearing when he allegedly attacked the victim, the affidavit said.

Reed is seen in the video making a payment to a cashier and filling a small container with gasoline, prosecutors said. He is then seen getting on the Blue Line at the Kedzie-Homan station along the Eisenhower Expressway, a short distance away from the gas station, the affidavit said.

At 11:29 a.m. Tuesday, Reed was arrested at 140 W. Washington St. downtown, the affidavit said. He was still wearing the same clothing, and he had fire-related injuries to his right hand, the affidavit said.

Around noon on Wednesday, 24 hours after he was arrested by Chicago police, Reed was taken into federal custody by the ATF.

In the wake of the attack, Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday vowed to use state funding to keep CTA riders safe.

"Safety is our top priority, and we will continue to make the necessary investments to ensure that everyone has a safe experience as they ride our public transportation system," he said.

Multiple outbursts during initial court hearing

Reed appeared for an initial hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura K. McNally at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse on Wednesday afternoon. He entered the courtroom in handcuffs and a spit guard around his mouth.

During the hearing, Reed made multiple outbursts. One line he repeatedly stated was, "I am guilty, and I will be my own attorney!"

But the judge did not accept the plea, as the hearing was intended just to establish the basis for the federal charges.

When the judge started talking with Reed, he said, "Don't talk to me!" and screamed, "La, la, la," to prevent the judge from talking. He also said, "I don't want an attorney," and, "I'll be my own attorney."

Judge McNally told Reed he had a right to remain silent.

Federal prosecutors said in court that they were seeking to have Reed held in custody until trial because he is a danger to the community and a flight risk. Prosecutors said Reed could face life in prison if convicted. He could also face the death penalty if the victim dies.

When Reed heard he was facing terrorism charges, he was taken aback as he said: "Terrorism? What is this all about?"

He also claimed to be a citizen of China and asked the judge to notify the Chinese Consulate of his arrest.

Lawrence Reed had been released on electronic monitoring

Reed has a long criminal record. CBS News Chicago found 49 arrests — including 10 felony cases. Three cases were later dropped, six ended up with convictions ranging from probation to 30 days in the Cook County Jail — and in the case of one drug conviction from 2003, two years in Illinois state prison.

Among them was an active aggravated battery case from just this past August.

In that incident, Reed is accused of hitting a social worker at MacNeal Hospital Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in west suburban Berwyn. The attack caused loss of consciousness, ER visits, lasting memory issues, headaches, and daily nausea for the social worker, the Cook County State's Attorney's office said at the time.

Cook County prosecutors asked a judge to keep Reed in custody until his trial for the August battery, but the judge placed Reed on electronic monitoring, and then a different judge modified the monitoring hours.

Still, this latest incident happened at a time when Reed would have been under active monitoring.

"Frankly, there's a presumption of release, but that can be overcome easily with someone like this particular defendant," said CBS News Chicago Legal Analyst Irv Miller.

Miller said the SAFE-T Act, which eliminated cash bail in Illinois, allows judges the discretion to decide if someone is detained. But this latest case is in federal court, as the U.S. Attorney's Office vows to take a stronger stance on CTA crime.

"You know, both the State of Illinois and the United States government has jurisdiction over certain crimes, particularly when it comes to a crime that occurs on a public transit system," Miller said. "In that case, both jurisdictions have legitimate rights to charge."

CBS News Chicago also found Reed has been accused in other high-profile crimes, including a fire that was set outside the Thompson Center in April 2020, on a day that Gov. JB Pritzker was supposed to make an appearance. The felony charge in that case was later dropped.

Just two months prior, Reed was suspected of punching four women outside the Harold Washington Library downtown.

Reed is also suspected of lighting a fire outside Chicago's City Hall just last week.

In 2019, he pleaded guilty to breaking windows on a CTA Blue Line train at O'Hare International Airport.

"Lawrence Reed had no business being on the streets, given his violent criminal history and his pending criminal cases. Reed had plenty of second chances by the criminal justice system, and as a result, you have an innocent victim in the hospital fighting for her life," said ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Chris Amon. "Because of the swift action of CPD, ATF, and our law enforcement partners, there will be no more chances for Mr. Reed."

CBS News Chicago reached out to the Cook County Chief Judge's office, which monitors the ankle monitoring system, to ask if they could explain any questions about the case — including whether he might have been violating court orders when he allegedly set the woman on fire. Chief Judge's office representatives said they could not comment on pending or potential litigation.