(José Niño, Headline USA) The man accused of setting a woman on fire aboard a Chicago train had been released by a judge just months earlier, even as prosecutors warned that electronic monitoring would not protect the community from his violent behavior, per a report by New York Post.
The violent career criminal accused of setting a woman ablaze on a Chicago train earlier this week had been released by a judge in August despite prosecutors demanding he remain behind bars.
Lawrence Reed, 50, left a victim fighting for her life after Monday’s horrific caught-on-camera train incident. He had been freed with electronic monitoring in an earlier case even though prosecutors warned a judge the measure would not adequately protect the community.
Mon, Nov. 17 — Chicago man Lawrence Reed, 50, was charged after setting a woman on fire on a Blue Line train. She’s in critical condition.
Reed, with a long violent record, shouted “I plead guilty” in court and could face life pic.twitter.com/lKJlPS14sc
— World News (@World_Newsn) November 21, 2025
Cook County Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez released Reed on Aug. 22, 2025 on a felony aggravated battery charge for allegedly slapping a social worker so hard that she lost consciousness during an August 19 assault inside the psychiatric ward of MacNeal Hospital, per a report by Hindustan Times.
Prosecutor Jerrilyn Gumila had warned the judge that electronic monitoring would be “wholly insufficient,” as the New York Post reported. She told the court it “could not protect the victim or the community from another vicious, random, and spontaneous attacks.”
Gumila described surveillance video showing Reed flying off the handle as the social worker spoke with him inside the locked ward. He “became irate and slapped the victim in the face with an open palm,” Gumila said. “Her vision went black, and she lost consciousness for several seconds.”
As the New York Post noted, the social worker suffered severe injuries including a cut on her cornea, possible optic nerve bruising, a concussion causing nausea and memory loss, and a chipped tooth. The prosecutor highlighted Reed’s extensive criminal history, which included a 2020 arson conviction for setting a fire outside a Chicago building. “The defendant poses a real and present threat to the safety of, especially this victim, whoever else was working in the hospital that day, and the community as a whole,” Gumila said.
Reed’s public defender Nicholas Yannias attributed his client’s behavior to a 26 year struggle with mental illness that makes him “paranoid.” Yannias said Reed had received treatment at the same hospital for 17 years and had returned to the correct medication dosage. “Mr. Reed needs services, he does not need to be incarcerated for being mentally ill and acting in accordance with his mental illness,” the lawyer said.
The judge told Gumila, “I understand your position, but I can’t keep everybody in jail because the state’s attorney wants me to, but I understand and respect your position.” She ordered Reed to stay away from the hospital except for medical emergencies and monitored him electronically “because of your ridiculous criminal history and lengthy criminal history.” The judge allowed him to leave his home 40 hours weekly, exceeding the 16 hours permitted under the state’s SAFE-T Act.
Court papers filed last Wednesday showed Reed had violated his curfew multiple times in November, including on the day of his attack. On Friday, Reed was ordered held without bail pending trial for the train attack.
He was charged with federal terrorism, among other offenses. Representing himself, he told the judge he doesn’t “feel safe in society.” “I’m a target from society. I don’t feel safe out there. I think for my safety, it’s best for me to be detained,” Reed said. Federal prosecutors cited his lengthy record, including 72 arrests and 15 convictions.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
