Amtrak Passenger Stabbed While Sleeping
September 3, 2008 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
Amtrak Passenger Stabbed While Sleeping – Considering the recent beheading in Canada an a Greyhound bus, an attempted beheading on another bus, and this… I may consider alternatives to public transportation.
A 24-year-old man was stabbed while sleeping on an Amtrak train just south of the Oregon state line.
The suspect, Armando Avalos, jumped from the train and suffered a broken ankle, authorities said. Avalos, 48, of Oxnard, Calif., was arrested Saturday on charges of attempted murder, parole violation and manufacture and possession of a dangerous weapon.
He was being held without bail Tuesday at the jail in Siskiyou County, Calif.
The victim, Rodolfo Marroquin, of Visalia, Calif., was taken to Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls, where he was treated for four stab wounds on the left side of his back, said Susan Gravenkamp, a spokeswoman for the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.
Marroquin told investigators he boarded the train in Eugene and sat next to Avalos. The strangers spoke briefly.
Avalos paced the aisle and left the rail car for a time, making Marroquin uncomfortable. Marroquin said he switched to another seat and fell asleep. He awoke to a sharp pain in his back and the sight of Avalos running away. Officials said Avalos jumped after the emergency brake was pulled.
Deputies and a search dog looking for Avalos spotted him along a rural road, sitting beside a fire. Avalos notified deputies that his ankle was broken. He was arrested and taken to Fairchild Medical Center in Yreka, where he underwent surgery, Gravenkamp said.
A backpack Avalos left on the train contained a loaded handgun, ammunition, a digital scale and marijuana, the sheriff’s office said.
I hope they do a thorough check on his background. This is becoming too common.
I was on this train ride, about five seats in front of the man who was stabbed. I took the train to avoid any situations like this that i’ve heard happen on the greyhound. I think it’s sad that this kind of thing is becoming commonplace.
If they can install gun and weapon detectors! in public schools,where there is kids, why not in public transportation?