Police are seeking a suspect who allegedly stabbed a 34-year old man in the back on a Universal City Metro station platform.
The stabbing was reported around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to Los Angeles Police Department Officer Drake Madison. Officers responded to the station regarding an assault with a deadly weapon call, where they found the victim, Madison said.
The victim’s condition was not immediately known. He was taken to a hospital, according to Fox 11.
“Metro’s focus is on ensuring our system is safe for our customers and employees, even as our county works to address the drug addiction and untreated mental illness challenges that result in incidents like the one on our system last night,” Metro spokesman Jose Ubaldo said in a statement to City News Service. “We value the continued partnership with our city and county partners in ensuring the Metro system can get the people of Los Angeles where they need to go – and safely.”
The suspect, who police said was a man between 40 to 50 years old, left the scene while pushing a shopping cart, Madison said.
On Oct. 17, Elliott Tramel Nowden, 46, pleaded not guilty in the April 22 fatal stabbing of Mirna Soza Arauz, 66, on a Metro train between the North Hollywood and Universal City stations.
In response to increasing violence at Metro stations and on trains and buses, officials have been testing new security measures, including the installation of metal detectors at Union Station.