Suspect in Metro bus stabbing in Lynwood was a repeat offender, sources say
LYNWOOD, Calif. - The man accused of stabbing another passenger on a Metro bus in Lynwood has been arrested and according to officials, he is no stranger to law enforcement.
The stabbing, which reportedly happened on the bus, was reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. Tuesday near the corner of Norton Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard.
The victim was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Transit Services Bureau told FOX 11.
The stabbing was the latest in a series of attacks on the Metro transit system.
Sources told FOX 11 the suspect has been arrested at least 14 times and there was even a warrant out for his arrest for using a knife in a previous assault.
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In addition to his other offenses, questions linger about how the suspect was even able to ride the bus since he reportedly did not pay a fare.
Not paying the bus fare appears to be a common denominator for at least 94% of suspects arrested in violent incidents in a one-year period from May 2023 to April 2024, data from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows. In that time span, the transit system had 153 violent crime arrests and 143 of the alleged perpetrators did not pay their fare.
Metro has a policy that law enforcement does not enforce a code of conduct on fares and that it’s up to security officers.
Other data shows violent crime is down 10% in transit patrolled by LASD deputies when comparing crime from January to April 2023 to and in those months in 2024.
A Metro spokesperson issued the following statement regarding the incident:
"Metro shares the concerns of our employees and customers about the increased severity of crime we are seeing in our cities and on the Metro system, like the one onboard a Metro bus in the city of Lynwood this afternoon. Metro hopes for a swift and full recovery to the victim and commends the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for their prompt action in apprehending the suspect. We urge anyone with information regarding this incident to contact the LASD Transit Services Bureau at 323-563-5000. We must work together to stop these crimes before they happen. If you see something, report something by calling 911."