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The images coming out of Chicago this week are the stuff of nightmares: a 26-year-old woman doused in gasoline and set ablaze while riding the Blue Line, an attack federal prosecutors have called a terrorist act against a mass transit system. Officials moved swiftly to charge 50-year-old Lawrence Reed with a federal terrorism offense, a rare and serious step that underscores the severity of what unfolded beneath the city streets.
Surveillance and the ATF affidavit make the horror plain: Reed allegedly filled a small container with gasoline at a nearby station, poured the liquid on the victim, chased her through the car and then ignited the bottle, leaving the young woman with critical, life-threatening burns. Witnesses and video reportedly show the victim rolling and screaming as bystanders scrambled, and authorities say the attacker was arrested wearing the same clothes and with burns on his hand.
When this man stood before a judge, reports say he repeatedly shouted that he was guilty and refused to behave like an accountable defendant — a disturbing display that followed a lifetime of brushes with the law. Federal and local agents described him as a violent repeat offender, and the court proceedings have already included suggestions of a mental evaluation even as prosecutors prepare a case that could mean life behind bars.
Here’s the part that should outrage every hardworking American: court records show Reed has been arrested dozens of times over three decades and, despite alarming behavior, was out on electronic monitoring in connection with a recent aggravated battery charge. Chicago newspapers report he had been arrested at least 40 times since 1993 and had previous convictions for arson and other violent acts — the kinds of red flags that should have kept him off public transit and away from innocent commuters. This is not a failure of policing; it is a failure of a justice system that keeps handing violent people more chances while citizens pay the price.
Federal prosecutors are pursuing the terrorism charge because this was an attack on the public’s right to ride transit without fear, and the law allows for the gravest penalties if the victim does not survive. If prosecutors are right, this wasn’t a random act of chaos — it was a deliberate assault intended to terrorize, and if our leaders want deterrence they must be willing to use every tool the law provides to keep dangerous repeat offenders off the streets.
Conservatives have warned for years that weak pretrial practices, soft-on-crime judges and under-resourced mental-health systems become a toxic cocktail for law-abiding families, and this tragedy is the brutal proof. It’s time for accountability from prosecutors and judges, real enforcement of monitoring conditions, and a common-sense restoration of public safety so commuters can return to work and school without fearing for their lives.
This is also a moment for every patriot to support police, demand transparency, and push lawmakers to fix the policies that let violent offenders slip through the cracks. We owe the victim, her family, and every American the effort to make trains, streets, and neighborhoods safe again — and we will not stop pressing until justice is delivered and public safety is restored.
