As the disturbing trend of subway violence continues across Los Angeles, city officials are poised to unveil yet another pilot program that they say should help alleviate the problem.
It comes just hours after a man was stabbed at a subway station in downtown Los Angeles early Tuesday morning. Although the suspect was quickly taken into custody, this is just another in a long line of incidents where people are on edge when it comes to public transport.
Mayor Karen Bass and other Metro administration officials say security has improved and ridership is trending in the right direction, but the changes are just not happening fast enough for people to feel safe.
“I got punched in the face by a random guy a few months ago,” said Luis Escalante, a regular Metro rider. He says the system is overrun with mentally unstable people. ‘Every second, every corner. If you take the subway, they are everywhere.”
Wednesday’s program, a detection system designed to locate hidden weapons, will be unveiled at Union Station.
While it is still a work in progress and has yet to be approved for the dozens of other Metro stations, travelers say the improved security is more than welcome.
“That would be nice, if they had something even remotely close to reducing, you know, everything with knives and guns,” Escalante said.
Wednesday’s demonstration is scheduled for 10 a.m. as Mayor Bass and other city officials continue to implement changes ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics before heading to Los Angeles.
Tom Wait
