A man who allegedly attacked a woman at a Pasadena subway station and threw her onto the tracks and then into oncoming traffic in the carpool lane of a highway has been charged with attempted murder and assault, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Juan Pablo Flores, 33, is scheduled to be arraigned on the two charges in a Pasadena courtroom on Tuesday. The district attorney’s office said he could face a life sentence.
The charges stem from an attack on a woman at the Allen Station on the A Metro Line last Wednesday, which occurred around 5:30 a.m.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, officers responded to the Metro station that same morning where a woman was repeatedly beaten in an unprovoked attack.
The woman fell to the ground and endured several more blows before the suspect – later identified by prosecutors as Flores – pushed her onto the tracks, dragged her “over the concrete guardrail of the highway” and into a lane of the highway, authorities said.
The suspect was later found by Sheriff’s Transit Bureau deputies at the intersection of Allen Avenue and Villa Street and taken into custody without incident, authorities said.
The woman was taken to a hospital where she was declared in stable condition last week.
“Our thoughts are with the victim and her loved ones as she begins her road to recovery following this horrific attack,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement announcing the charges. “No one should have to endure such brutality, and everyone has the right to go about their daily lives without fear for their safety. We will not tolerate violence in our transportation system and will continue to hold those responsible fully accountable for their crimes.”
Last week, Los Angeles County Councilwoman Kathryn Barger praised transit officials for their quick response.
“This incident is a perfect example of why we urgently need to address safety issues, not only in the Metro system but also at the stations,” Barger said in a statement.
Barger also said she expects a comprehensive report from Metro on the safety measures taken to ensure safety, particularly during morning commuter hours.
“Our Metro board has already taken some steps to improve public safety, including fare enforcement, but it is obvious to me that commuters on our Metro system still face serious problems that cannot be ignored,” Barger said.
Her colleague, District Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who like Barger sits on the Metro board, issued a statement saying, “The details of the attack on a woman this morning at Allen Station in Pasadena are disturbing and I am grateful that the victim is on the mend and the suspect is in custody.”
“Our board needs a full investigation of this incident, an inventory of where Metro’s contracted police and transit security officers were when this woman was attacked, and a plan to increase safety during morning commuter hours. Our trains, buses and stations must be safe for our riders, and we must continue to implement safety reforms to get our system to that point.”
According to jail records, Flores has been behind bars since his arrest less than an hour after the alleged attack.
