Man accused in Blue Line fire attack facing new charges in separate alleged attempted sex assault

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The man facing a federal terrorism charge for allegedly setting a woman on fire on a CTA Blue Line train last month is facing new charges in a separate alleged attack, according to court documents.

Lawrence Reed, 50, is now accused of trying to sexually assault a female CTA rider, and then attacking a man who intervened.

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The attack happened near the Grand Blue Line stop on March 27, Chicago police said. Neither victim was seriously hurt.

Reed was due in court on Monday for the new charges.

"While we cannot comment on the particulars of grand jury proceedings, the CCSAO was first made aware of this case on November 20th, and a true bill of indictment was promptly returned," the Cook County State's Attorney's Office said in a statement Wednesday.

Reed is accused of dousing a woman in gasoline and setting her on fire on a Blue Line train Nov. 17.

Last week, a grand jury indicted Reed on yet another Blue Line incident, the March 27 attack. According to court records, Reed was charged with aggravated battery of two people after he allegedly, "sat on a woman's lap," then "struck a man who attempted to intervene."

Reed was taken for a mental health evaluation, but he was not charged until recently.

"It's a bit of an insurance policy," ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer said. "If something goes sideways in the federal case, here's another set of charges. While even not nearly as significant as the federal charges could also land him in jail."

The added charges come as the CTA has announced the launch of a new effort to deal with what they say are the "issues that arise when CTA riders and employees encounter people who are unhoused, who may be experiencing a mental health crisis."

It's part of the transit agency's effort to pilot what they are calling Safe Ride Specialists.

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Allison McCann Stevenson is with the Night Ministry, one of the outreach groups that's been a part of the initial conversations.

"They could provide intervention before you need to pull or rely on the police," McCann Stevenson said. "Raise awareness, provide proactive safe response that is visible and in real time. That is what the city is asking for, that is what riders are asking for."

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office refused to elaborate Thursday any further on the latest charges against Reed, saying more information will become available at his arraignment on December 15.

The Chicago Police Department shared the following statement with ABC7 Thursday afternoon about the March 17 and Nov. 17 cases:
"Officers responded immediately to the aggravated battery that occurred on March 27, 2025. After responding to and securing the scene, officers interviewed the offender, who was transported to Rush Hospital for a mental health evaluation. This incident was documented through a Crisis Intervention Report.

"The 22-year-old female victim and 26-year-old male victim in this incident were notified that criminal charges could be pursued at a later time due to the offender's mental health status. Within days of this incident, detectives made contact with one of the victims for additional information to move the investigation forward. Detectives continued to reach out to both victims during the course of the investigation. As detectives actively worked this case with the goal of apprehending the offender, the offender committed the aggravated arson on November 17, 2025 and was taken into custody the next day for that aggravated arson.

"This investigation into the March 27, 2025 incident remained active and ongoing until charges were secured on November 28, 2025."

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