Amidst a string of violent attacks on Los Angeles Metro, Board Member Kathryn Barger has expressed fear and reluctance to ride the public transportation system alone. The Board of Directors has declared a public safety emergency following the fatal stabbing of a woman at the Studio City Metro stop. The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested Elliot Tramel Nowden, a 45-year-old transient, for the murder.
Earlier this month, a bus driver was stabbed in Willowbrook, and another man was stabbed in the Silver Lake neighborhood in unrelated incidents. These violent attacks prompted an emergency meeting by the Board of Directors on Thursday, where officials agreed to retrofit buses with shatterproof glass barriers around transit drivers. Other approved safety measures include increasing the number of security cameras and implementing facial recognition technology. The Board is also considering the possibility of banning problematic individuals from Metro altogether.
The series of violent attacks has left a trail of bloodied victims hospitalized and one woman dead. In the Studio City incident, 67-year-old Mirna Soza Arauz was stabbed in the throat by a man with kitchen knives. The suspect, 45-year-old Elliot Tramel Nowden, has been charged with murder and faces life in prison if convicted.
The Board’s declaration of a public safety emergency and the implementation of new safety measures are aimed at addressing the concerns raised by Barger and other riders and ensuring the safety of passengers on the Los Angeles Metro system.
