A Chicago man with multiple criminal charges set a fellow train passenger on fire

Lawrence Reed/Chicago Police Department

A Chicago man, 50-year-old Lawrence Reed, allegedly set a 26-year-old woman on fire while they rode the Blue Line train. According to Fox 32, "Reed bought gasoline about 20 minutes before the attack, then boarded the train and poured it over the woman. She tried to escape, but he ignited her." The horrible incident was caught on camera. The victim reportedly suffers life-threatening injuries.

FOX also noted that Reed has an extensive criminal record, which includes at least 72 arrests and roughly 15 convictions, including several for arson, criminal damage to government property, and drug trafficking.

Before setting the recent victim on fire, the 50-year-old had been released from custody despite facing pending aggravated battery charges from an attack on someone at a hospital in August. He had been released from jail with an ankle monitor, but the courts eventually lifted the monitor restriction.

Chicago Police Department

FOX also reported that "Reed disrupted his first court appearance earlier this week by singing, babbling, and instructing the Court to not speak to him," according to prosecutors. He also refused to meet with a court-appointed attorney. Yet he's on a no-bond hold, and Reed will remain in custody until his trial.

He faces charges for a terrorist attack on a mass transportation system, and could receive the death penalty if the victim dies.

This story will be updated.

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