Crime & Law

Chicago Man Accused in Blue Line Arson Attack Now Charged With Setting Fire at City Hall Days Earlier

Lawrence Reed, the man accused of setting a woman on fire on board the CTA Blue Line last month, now faces a new charge alleging he attempted to set City Hall on fire days before the train attack.

Federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed a new indictment against Reed, 50, that alleged he “maliciously damaged and attempted to damage and destroy, by means of fire” Chicago’s City Hall building, 121 N. LaSalle St., on Nov. 14.

Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke about that arson attempt days after it occurred, saying at the time that security footage captured an unknown individual “set fire to the outside of the building before fleeing the area.”

“Thankfully, the fire did not spread beyond the initial flame, and a (Chicago Police Department) officer was on duty to monitor the situation,” Johnson said on Nov. 17. “While we do not know the motives of this attempted arson, it goes without saying that this type of violence has no place in our politics.”

According to the indictment, that alleged arson attempt occurred three days before Reed allegedly doused a woman in gasoline at random and hit her on fire on board the Blue Line.

The victim was sitting with her back to Reed at around 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 17 when Reed approached, took the cap off of a bottle he was holding and poured a liquid all over her head and body before attempting to ignite the substance, prosecutors said.

The victim attempted to fight off Reed and ran to the front of the train, the complaint states, as Reed lit the bottle in his hand on fire and used it to set the woman ablaze.

According to the criminal complaint, surveillance footage showed the woman’s body “engulfed in flames,” which she attempted to extinguish by rolling on the ground. When the train stopped at Clark and Lake, she was able to exit before collapsing on the platform as Reed allegedly walked away from the scene.

The woman survived and continues to recover from critical injuries.

Reed, who already faces a terrorism charge stemming from the Blue Line attack, remains in federal custody at the Metropolitan Correction Center downtown.

Following his arrest last month, Reed was also charged in Cook County court with an attempted sexual assault and battery onboard another train earlier this year.

Authorities have said Reed has an extensive criminal past that includes setting a fire outside the Thompson Center in 2020.

Reed is due in court for an arraignment on the arson charge Friday.

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