Court records have revealed that the 50-year-old suspect in the Chicago train attack case, Lawrence Reed, repeatedly violated electronic monitoring curfew and movement restrictions before the alleged act of setting a woman on fire on the CTA Blue Line. Reed had been placed under electronic monitoring since August 22 following a court case involving a prior violent offense. The records indicate multiple violations in the days leading up to the incident.
The incident, which occurred on November 17, saw Reed allegedly approach a 26-year-old woman from behind and douse her with gasoline from a plastic bottle before attempting to ignite it. The victim, identified as Bethany Magee, managed to fight him off and fled while he pursued her, but was eventually set on fire. Magee remains in critical condition after suffering severe burns to her face and body.
Reed’s approved movement schedule under electronic monitoring allowed him to be out only during specific windows, which he repeatedly breached. The violations continued into the early morning hours of November 18, several hours after the incident. Following the attack, Reed was taken into custody with burn marks on his hand and was wearing the same clothes as the suspect seen in surveillance footage.
Prosecutors have moved to revoke Reed’s pretrial release in the August aggravated battery case due to the new federal terrorism charge. If the request is approved, Reed would be held without bond in the county case, regardless of the status of the federal proceedings. His next court date in the aggravated battery case is set for December 4. In federal court, U.S. District Judge Laura McNally has not yet set a next date in the terrorism case.