US EditionFederal terrorism charge filed against a man who allegedly set a woman on fire on Chicago train
Federal prosecutors say Lawrence Reed doused a woman with gasoline and set her on fire on a CTA Blue Line train, charging him with terrorism amid his long criminal record.
- The U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday that Lawrence Reed, 50, was federally charged for allegedly setting a woman on fire on a CTA Blue Line train in downtown Chicago, and the ATF took him into custody around noon.
- On Monday around 9 p.m., Andrew Boutros said the 26-year-old victim was reading her phone on an O'Hare-bound Blue Line train, and prosecutors disputed Chicago police claims of a verbal altercation.
- Surveillance footage from train car No. 3236 shows Reed pouring liquid on the victim, igniting it, and later setting her on fire as she rolled to extinguish herself and exited at Clark/Lake Blue Line platform.
- The victim was hospitalized in critical condition after being taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County, while federal prosecutors seek to detain Reed as a danger and flight risk and Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed to boost CTA safety using state funding Wednesday.
- CBS News Chicago found Reed was arrested at 140 W. Washington St. at 11:29 a.m. Tuesday wearing the same clothes as in surveillance footage, while investigators recovered evidence from the train car.
30 Articles
30 Articles
Domestic terrorism: Repeat offender accused of setting woman on fire aboard train
Domestic terrorism: Repeat offender accused of setting woman on fire aboard train | 19 Nov 2025 | A man accused of setting a 26-year-old woman on fire aboard a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train was charged with domestic terrorism, according to officials. The man was identified as Lawrence Reed, 50, of Chicago, who authorities said has a “very long and extensive criminal history.” Andrew Boutros, who is the U.S. Attorney for the Northern Dist…
Man Accused Of Setting Woman On Fire In Chicago Faces Federal Charges
Source: Michael Valdez / Getty On Wednesday, federal prosecutors filed terrorism charges against 50-year-old Lawrence Reed for allegedly setting a woman on fire. According to CNN, the incident occurred Monday night on Chicago’s L train. Security footage shows a man who appears to be Reed sitting in the back of the train before approaching the 26-year-old woman, who was sitting with her back turned to him. An affidavit from the Bureau of Alcohol,…
Chicago mayor obliterated by ActBlue strategist over 'absolutely insane' response to woman set on fire on train
The horrific attack on a woman on a public train in Chicago has garnered angry responses from many — but the Democratic mayor was not one of them.The 26-year-old victim is in critical condition after a man doused her with a liquid at about 9:30 on Monday night and then lit her on fire on the CTA Blue Line train. The man fled from the scene, and police later arrested 50-year-old Lawrence Reed as a suspect.'The issue is violent misdemeanor offende…
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