Metro, Los Angeles sued over fatal stabbing of subway passenger – NBC Los Angeles

The relatives of a 23-year-old passenger who was chased and stabbed without provocation on a Metro B (Red Line) train in downtown Los Angeles in 2023 are suing the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the City of Los Angeles for negligence and wrongful death.

The attack occurred on September 7, 2023, around 5:20 p.m., when Randy Lamale Nash allegedly approached Jesse Michael Rodriguez, pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest, Los Angeles police previously stated.

Rodriguez later died in the hospital. Nash is charged with murder but is not a defendant in the civil suit.

The lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court was filed Thursday by Rodriguez's mother, 72-year-old Katherine M. Rodriguez, and Edward Quezada, who adopted the deceased when the then-child was two years old.

The plaintiffs are demanding unspecified damages as well as reimbursement of funeral and burial costs.

A fatal stabbing on an LA Metro train sparks renewed calls for increased security measures. Darsha Philips reports September 8, 2023.

A Metro spokesman said Friday that the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

The public prosecutor did not respond to a request for comment

The Rodriguez family's lawsuit alleges that Metro and the City of Los Angeles stopped enforcing loitering laws at many Metro stations, including the Pershing Square station where the stabbing occurred.

This practice encourages homeless and mentally ill people to loiter or stay at train stations for long periods of time and allows them to intimidate passengers, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit accuses the city and Metro of allegedly not having enough security personnel and surveillance cameras on the platforms and more staff in the passenger cars.

Funds originally intended for increased security in the subway were diverted to allow the hiring of transit ambassadors who were not adequately trained in law enforcement, the lawsuit says.