CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — The woman who was doused in gasoline and set ablaze aboard a CTA Blue Line train has been identified as 26-year-old Bethany MaGee. Federal prosecutors have charged the suspect, Lawrence Reed, 50, with committing a terrorist act on public transit.
Shocking Attack on Public Train
The attack happened just before 9:30 p.m. on Monday, November 17, as MaGee sat quietly on the train. Surveillance footage shows Reed approaching her from behind after buying gasoline roughly 20 minutes earlier and storing it in a plastic bottle. Without warning, he poured the fuel over her head and body, then set it on fire.
MaGee was engulfed in flames but managed to escape the train at the Clark/Lake station, where she collapsed on the platform. Bystanders rushed to help as emergency crews responded. She suffered extensive burns and remained hospitalized in critical condition.
Reed was arrested the next morning, November 18, in downtown Chicago. According to prosecutors, he was caught on body camera shouting, “Burn alive, b****,” during his arrest. He also had visible burn injuries on his right hand.
Suspect Had Long Criminal Record
Reed is charged with committing a terrorist act against a mass transportation system, a federal offense that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. If MaGee does not survive her injuries, prosecutors say he could be eligible for the federal death penalty. Illinois abolished its state death penalty in 2011, but federal charges may override that ban.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros called the act “intentional, calculated, and violent.” Authorities have also expressed concern over how Reed was free to commit such a crime. He has a reported 72 prior arrests and several felony convictions. At the time of the attack, Reed was reportedly under court-ordered electronic monitoring for a separate aggravated battery case.
Critics of the Cook County judicial system have pointed out that Reed was released despite prosecutors objecting to his pretrial freedom in the pending case. According to reports, that case involved an assault on a social worker at a psychiatric facility.
During his first court appearance, Reed was combative. He shouted, “I plead guilty!” multiple times, claimed he was a Chinese citizen, and told the judge, “Don’t talk to me,” as she attempted to read him his rights. A federal judge later ordered him to remain in custody pending trial, calling him a danger to the public.
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