Photo: LAPD
STUDIO CITY (CNS) - A man suspected of fatally stabbing a woman on a Metro B (Red) Line train in the Studio City area remained jailed Tuesday awaiting word on possible criminal charges.
Elliot Tramel Nowden, 45, was jailed in lieu of $2 million bail following his arrest Monday morning on suspicion of murder. He is accused in the stabbing that occurred on the subway train around 5 a.m. Monday.
Police said the victim, who has not yet been identified, had boarded the downtown-bound train at the nearby North Hollywood station and was stabbed in an apparently unprovoked attack. She managed to exit the train when it arrived at the Universal City Station in the 3900 block of Lankershim Boulevard in Studio City, where she was found mortally wounded on the platform.
She was taken to a hospital, where she later died.
Nowden was arrested about 30 minutes later near Ventura Boulevard and Vineland Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
According to Metro's Dave Sotero, the transit agency's "contract security" began tending to the victim on the train platform until paramedics arrived.
"The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and the victim was transported to a local hospital where, unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries," Sotero said. "Metro extends its condolences to her family and friends."
The Studio City station -- which is often used by people visiting nearby Universal Studios Hollywood -- was closed down during the investigation, meaning trains were not stopping at the location, and buses were used to shuttle passengers through the area. Metro reported early Monday afternoon that the station had been reopened.
During Tuesday's Board of Police Commissioners meeting, two board members voiced concerns about the death and asked Interim Chief Dominic Choi what steps the department is taking to improve security at that station and on the B Line.
In particular, commissioners Rasha Shields and Maria Lou Calanche expressed concern for early morning commuters who are often low-income workers.
"It sounds like we had made a lot of progress in making Metro safer recently, and it's unfortunate that this type of event really pushed the department back a lot, and makes people feel less safe boarding Metro," Shields said.
Choi said the department and Metro increased their presence by deploying more officers and ambassadors at the Studio City Station. The interim chief noted that police can't "be everywhere all the time." But spreading out, engaging and communicating with Metro and riders can help improve a sense of safety, he added.
It also lets them know that LAPD "takes safety, public safety, seriously and that we are aligned with Metro's mission and goals on safety," Choi said.
Choi said LAPD's transit service team is in communication with Metro's leadership on how to best increase security presence and make sure officers are deployed during early morning hours.
"This incident is extremely, extremely tragic," Choi said. "It's not just about the numbers (of attacks on transit) that we've talked about before, but it's about the feeling of safety."
If increasing LAPD's presence on Metro's system helps prevent crime, that's something the department and Metro will discuss, he added. LAPD, the Long Beach Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department are contracted with Metro to provide public safety services.
Police said they "strongly believe" Nowden may have victimized other people, and they urged anyone who believe they were targeted by him to come forward. Anyone who believes they were victimized or has information about the stabbing was urged to call 877-LAPD-247 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
The attack was the latest act of violence to plague the Metro transit system. Last week, a Metro bus driver got into an altercation with a suspect who kicked in the glass door of the bus. The previous weekend, a male passenger was stabbed during an argument on a Metro bus in the Silver Lake area, and a suspect was taken into custody. Later that same day, a Metro bus driver was attacked near South Los Angeles area, with the suspect punching and stabbing the driver, sheriff's officials said.