As Los Angeles public transit users come to grips with the latest incident in a spree of violence, officials are preparing a plan to cut down on violent crime on subways and buses, and numbers from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department could indicate their possible course of action.
On Tuesday, one man stabbed another in the leg on a bus in Lynwood, and though the alleged assailant is in custody, it’s yet another attack on a Metro vehicle.
In previous weeks, multiple passengers, drivers and people at Metro stations have been robbed, stabbed and shot, some of them fatally.
But despite the prominent violence, according to statistics released by the Sheriff’s Department, violent crime is down by 10% from January through April this year and is primarily being perpetrated by people who are not paying a fare.
Of the 153 violent crimes perpetrated on Metro between May 2023 and April 2024, 143 of them — more than 93% — were believed to be committed by people who did not pay a valid fare and were using the transit system illegally.
Though public officials have not yet detailed exactly how they hope to combat crime on Metro, it’s possible that stronger fare enforcement could be part of the plan. More information is expected Thursday when Mayor Karen Bass discusses the issue with the Metro Board of Directors.