A woman was brutally attacked Wednesday morning at a Pasadena subway station in an attack authorities described as attempted murder.
At about 5:45 a.m. at the Allen Metro Station near Pasadena City College, a man suddenly approached the woman and punched her in the face, authorities said.
He continued to punch the woman until she fell to the ground, where he then grabbed her and began slamming her head against the platform repeatedly, according to preliminary internal Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority reports obtained by The Times.
The man pushed the woman onto the tracks and dragged her across the freeway’s concrete dividing wall onto the 210 Freeway, which runs parallel to the subway platform above ground, according to reports. The woman was able to escape and has since been treated at a hospital, where she is reported to be in stable condition pending further medical evaluation.
According to authorities, the attack was unprovoked and the woman did not know the man.
A person matching the suspect's description was located a few blocks away and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, according to deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Bureau of Transit Services. Further information is being withheld pending the filing of additional charges.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who serves as chairwoman of the Metro board, said she was deeply disturbed by the details of the attack.
“Our board will need a full investigation into this incident, an accounting of where both Metro-contracted law enforcement and transit security officers were located when this woman was attacked, and a plan to increase security during morning commute hours,” Hahn said. “Our trains, buses and stations must be safe for our riders, and we need to continue implementing safety reforms to get our system to that point.”
Times staff writer Rachel Uranga contributed to this report.
