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Every recognized media outlet in this area has reported that an assault with deadly weapon incident occurred near Niles MI last evening aboard 366 (5), Blue Water. Four persons including a Conductor, were injured, one seriously, with the knife weapon.
The assailant was apprehended and taken into custody by Law Enforcement at the Niles station.
It would appear this was a random attack
Amtrak trains have been quite immune to this sort of violence and this incident in itself is, hence, quite disturbing in nature.
DeeCT Member # 3241
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Gil,
To be honest I am surprised this has not happened before. I have, along the way, observed a few "not quite together" folk on a train. Often alcohol or drug influenced. Always it seems removed from the train at the next stop after their behavior is deemed disturbing to other passengers. (Meet the nice uniformed man with a set of "bracelets"). But never an incident like this. I think, Gil, that this is another sign of an increasingly more violent and less well mannered world we now live in. I would like to believe that incidents such as this will remain random and isolated but fear they will instead increase.
Dee
Geoff Mayo Member # 153
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The most "disturbing" aspect is the potential for wholly inappropriate knee-jerk reactions. X-ray scanners for hospitals, shopping malls, and trains anyone?
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Update--
The good news; all four victims are reported in stable condition. The assailant is being held with bond set at $1M; doubt if he is going too far in the immediate future.
The bad; the story was reported on NBC Nightly News. Herr Dr. Maglieri (Amtrak's Chicago "spinner") will have to work a bit harder to keep this in the bottle.
RRRICH Member # 1418
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Yes that was on both local and NBC news here last night. I'm waiting for the more ignorant public now to start making jokes like "Well, if you take AMTRAK, you might get stabbed! Ha-ha-ha!" Or the "Oh no! I'm never going to ride AMTRAK again!" folks.
I too am surprised that incidents like this have not happened before (maybe they have, but have not been reported....), and I too have seen my share of "not quite together" passengers on some trains.
bill613a Member # 4264
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Something like this did happen (15 Years ? ago) on the LAKESHORE LTD as it was running across NE Ohio. An individual walked thru one of the coaches slashing people as they slept. Once the train crew was alerted the train was stopped and all passengers were taken off to assess the situation. No one was seriously injured and it was during this time that the perpetrator tried to blend in but enough people recognized him as the attacker and he was arrested. Maybe because no one was killed it didn't generate that much press. IIRC there was a small item in the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER and maybe in RTN. Sorry I can't remember more of the details but sadly yes, I too am surprised it hasn't happened more often.
smitty195 Member # 5102
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I'm also surprised that this does not happen more often. So many of their long-distance trains traverse locations that are in the middle of nowhere (so to speak), and law enforcement response times are usually extended to those locations. Those conductors really have to put up with a lot of stuff from passengers sometimes. Until the police arrive, they are, in essence, the police. Yet they are totally unarmed (although I can tell you on very good authority that most of the engineers out there who work solo in the cab are carrying a gun in their grip. That's a little secret that is almost never talked about---and I can't blame them considering where some of those trains go). And actually, right NOW as I am typing this post, the engineer of a Capitol Corridor train (542??) is stopped on the tracks near Emeryville with people laying **IN** the gauge, climbing all over the locomotive including one guy staring at him while hanging onto the front windshield, and other people climbing the signal bridge---they are ON TOP of the signals! These are the lovely "protestors" (aka: criminals) who have currently stopped all rail traffic into/out of Oakland and the surrounding area, and Interstate 80 from abeam the Amtrak station to the the Golden Gate Bridge approach. They're showing live shots from overhead and on the ground. It makes me sick what I'm watching.
Mike Smith Member # 447
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I have assumed almost everyone on the train is carrying some sort of weapon, be it a knife or a gun.
And Smitty, why did the train stop? Was it at a red light when the heathens/criminals found it?
smitty195 Member # 5102
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It was just coincidence as to how the first Capitol Corridor train had to stop. They were in the Emeryville station and could see ahead (to their green signal) that there were people and police everywhere. They knew it was the nightly "protestors" and thought that they were just passing through. But unknown to anyone at that time, the crowd quickly grew to 1,500. But before that happened, the train left the station and moved slowly towards their green. As they got close to it, that's when they probably said "Oh S**t!!" and stopped the train. The dispatcher put up all red signals in the area, which stopped another Capitol train as well as #14 (Coast Starlight).
It was a real mess last night. I don't know if this link will work for everyone, but if you want to see the reality of what is happening in these alleged "protests", watch this 2 minute video:
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I would bet that many of those protesters have no interest in the "protest" as such, more an excuse to cause trouble. How many in Ferguson would correctly pick out the "victim" they were "supporting" from a 3-face photo lineup?
Ocala Mike Member # 4657
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How did a thread about an isolated incident on an Amtrak train in Michigan become conflated with a discussion of ongoing demonstrations and protests in NOCal? Round up the usual suspects, I suppose.
RRRICH Member # 1418
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I don't know, Mike.......... Maybe someone should start an "open discussion" thread about this.
All I can say is that all the protests in the world are NOT going to bring back to life the black men who were killed by the police half a continent away.
In a "civilized" society, people don't express their disagreement with a legal finding of a Grand Jury by burning buildings and police cars, looting stores, or disrupting automobile, truck, and train travel like these Hippies at Berkeley have done. What good does all this do?
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