One person attacked with rock, another stabbed on Seattle light rail

Investigations are underway following two violent assaults that injured passengers on light rail trains in Seattle over the last week.

According to Safe Seattle, on Friday at approximately 1:45 pm, a “non-destination rider” on a northbound train near the SODO station attacked a 50-year-old male victim with a rock the size of a toilet paper roll, striking him multiple times in the head. The suspect then fled the scene and the victim was taken to the hospital.



The second assault occurred Sunday around 5:45 am at the Angle Lake station. Law enforcement responded to a report of a fight on a Link train and found a man in his 30s with stab wounds.

According to the outlet, video footage revealed that a male and female suspect got into a verbal altercation with the victim on the train. The female suspect then handed a knife to the male suspect, who stabbed the victim repeatedly. Both suspects fled the scene.

The male victim was found bleeding on the platform and was transported to a local hospital.

The attacks follow an increasing pattern of violence on the light rail.

Last month, a male was stabbed on a train at the Othello station and the suspect was apprehended.

In March, a woman was stabbed on a train at the Roosevelt station.

Drug use has also been rampant on the light rail. Just last week, Taylor Swift concertgoers had to get off the train before their stops coming home from the concert Saturday night after being exposed to meth from vagrants, something that has become a common occurrence on the system.

Also on Friday, five people were shot at a Safeway, including two members of the Boys and Girls Club outreach team during a community event. The Safeway is not far from the Othello station.

Last month, four people were shot during an illegal street racing event near Capitol Hill. 

Homicides in Seattle increased 7 percent in 2023 even as they declined in other cities.

Nearly 600 officers have fled the Seattle Police Department since 2020 when the Seattle City Council began defunding the department following the George Floyd riots that rocked the Emerald City. This was followed by a massive spike in crime due to staffing falling below minimum safe levels.