As a woman fights for her life after a brutally violent attack at a Los Angeles Metro station in Pasadena, an incident captured on the transit system’s security cameras, many riders are now asking who exactly is keeping an eye on those cameras.
The Aug. 7 incident occurred at around 5:30 a.m. at the Allen Metro station along the Metro A Line.
Footage of the incident obtained by KTLA, which is disturbing and difficult to watch, shows the victim repeatedly being dragged into the carpool lane of the busy 210 Freeway as cars whiz seemingly within inches of running her over, and she fights to survive.
Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department believe the attack was random, resulting from a chance encounter with the suspect, now identified as 33-year-old Juan Pablo Flores.
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Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA) -
Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA) -
Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA) -
Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA) -
Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA) -
Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA) -
Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA) -
Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA) -
Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA) -
Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA) -
Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA) -
Chilling video shows a man attacking a woman at an L.A. Metro Station in Pasadena, attempting to throw her onto oncoming traffic on the 210 Freeway on Aug. 7, 2024. (@PeopleofMetroLA)
In an online document entitled “Everyone Deserves a Safe Metro Ride,” officials say that security cameras across the Metro system are installed “to monitor and deter criminal activity.”
Carlos Rico, a senior manager with Metro System Security and Law Enforcement, spoke to KTLA about this latest attack in Pasadena, saying the incident was reported by a witness.
“Immediately what happens, when an incident like that gets reported, whether it be our CCTV observers or our security operations center, [they will] get that station’s CCTV up on the screen to get a better understanding of what’s happening in real-time,” he explained. “Subsequent to that happening, law enforcement resources are dispatched to that incident. So, we got the call, CCTV was pulled up and law enforcement was dispatched.”
Rico added that cameras across the system are being monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week at Metro’s Rail Operations Center.
Officials say that in the specific attack at the Allen Metro station, there was a seven-minute response time. In that time, though, the victim was beaten, punched, stomped, kicked and repeatedly thrown onto the 210 Freeway.
“We have surged law enforcement, uniformed personnel, throughout the system. Since that surge, we have seen a decrease in crime across the board and we’ve seen an increase in arrests for trespassing,” Rico said. “The surge is working. We have minimized crime and particularly violent crime.”
He went on to say that beyond Metro, officials are dealing with societal issues, such as mental health crises, substance abuse and problems that are beyond the reach of the transit system’s capabilities.
Flores, who was arrested shortly after the attack, has since been charged by the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office with felony attempted murder and felony mayhem.
He is being held on $2 million bail.
The victim, according to authorities, is expected to survive, though she will likely suffer “long-term disfigurement” and has had to return to the hospital due to infections with her injuries, including broken bones, deep lacerations requiring stitches and severe bruising.
L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Kathryn Barger released a statement to KTLA that said in part:
“I appreciate the augmented work being done by our law enforcement partners. There have been nearly 2,000 arrests since surge deployments began, with trespassing and narcotics violations being the top issues. By enforcing our code of conduct, I believe we are preventing senseless attacks.”
Metro officials say there are also pilot safety programs currently in the works, one of which includes passengers having to tap their card to exit the system. The board has also approved the testing of a weapons detection system, a pilot program that begins in September.