SEATTLE — Two violent attacks within a month on the Link light rail. The most recent was a stabbing on Monday, Mar. 11, at about 10:20 p.m. that sent a victim to the hospital.
It comes after a man was shot and killed on the train back on Feb. 25.
In the latest case, court documents suggest the stabbing may have been random. The King County Sheriff’s Office says the attack happened on the light rail train.
Documents say that man approached the victim “talking crazy about religion” in Spanish. The victim “told him to get away and leave him alone” and “tried to get up and move.”
But the suspect pepper-sprayed the victim, starting a fight. Then the suspect “pulled out a knife and began stabbing (the victim) repeatedly in the legs.”
A responding officer reported, “I saw multiple stab wounds to both legs about 2 inches in diameter. One of the injuries required a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.”
The stabbing happened about 12 hours prior to investigators releasing the video that captured another victim being shot and killed on the light rail. KIRO 7 obtained the video after a public records request.
In the murder case, investigators say the suspect and victim got on the train at different stops and rode for a while. When the victim was getting off at the Pioneer Square Station, the suspect stuck out a foot and tripped him.
The victim turned around and the suspect punched him. Video shows them fighting before the suspect pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the head.
Frequent light rail riders say they usually feel pretty safe on the train, but hearing about the recent violent attacks is worrisome.
“If they’re more random, that’s definitely starting to get more concerning, for sure,” said Daniel Hammer, who commutes by light rail. “It does give me a little pause about going maybe late at night,” Hammer said.
Occasional rider, Victoria Haas, said she already has safety concerns when in Seattle and was alarmed to hear about the latest violent cases.
“We should use public transport, but if it’s not safe, who wants to use it?” Haas said.
Sound Transit spokesperson Rachelle Cunningham is assuring riders that the light rail is safe. She said there are currently 480 Sound Transit security personnel, double the number in 2022.
She pointed out that there have been 256 attacks on Sound Transit since June of 2023, but 2 million riders a month on trains. She said over the phone that the recent violence is “indicative of the problems we’re having with violence in the rest of the city.”
And some riders do agree.
“Unfortunately, it’s the nature of what we live in anymore,” said Robert Woods, who uses light rail for travel.
“I would say it goes hand in hand with a lot of the issues going on in Seattle,” said Atong Miyar, another rider.
The shooting suspect, Jamari Bland, is still in custody on $2 million bail.
The stabbing suspect is being held on $150,000 bail. KIRO 7 is not naming him because as of Tuesday night, he had not yet been formally charged.
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