A Chicago judge released a man with more than 70 arrests and a prior arson conviction in August despite prosecutors warning he posed a “real and present threat” to the public — months before he allegedly doused a woman with gasoline and set her on fire aboard a Chicago Transit Authority train, according to court transcripts and reporting from CWB Chicago and the New York Post.
The suspect, Lawrence Reed, 50, was granted release on electronic monitoring on August 22 after being charged with aggravated battery for allegedly attacking a social worker inside the locked psychiatric ward at MacNeal Hospital. Prosecutor Jerrilyn Gumila argued forcefully that Reed should remain in custody, warning that electronic monitoring would be “wholly insufficient” to protect the public.
“It could not protect the victim or the community from another vicious, random, and spontaneous attack,” Gumila told the court, according to a transcript of the hearing.
Gumila described how Reed allegedly slapped a hospital social worker so hard that she lost consciousness. The victim later suffered a corneal injury, possible optic nerve bruising, a concussion, and a chipped tooth.
She also detailed Reed’s criminal history, which included at least 72 arrests and 15 convictions, along with a 2020 arson conviction for setting a fire outside Chicago’s James R. Thompson Center. Reed received probation in that case.
“The defendant poses a real and present threat to the safety of … the community as a whole,” Gumila said.
Despite the warning, Cook County Judge Teresa Molina-Gonzalez ordered Reed released on electronic monitoring and granted him 40 hours per week of allowed movement — significantly more than the 16 hours typically permitted under Illinois’ SAFE-T Act.
Weeks later, a second judge, Ralph Meczyk, further expanded Reed’s movement hours so he could attend church, according to transcripts cited by CWB Chicago.
Court records show Reed repeatedly violated his curfew in early November — including on the day of the CTA attack — triggering multiple “escalated alerts,” the Post reported.
Reed was arrested earlier this week for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a CTA train car. Federal prosecutors have charged him with terrorism, and he agreed to remain detained, telling the court he does not “feel safe” in society.
“I think for my safety, it’s best for me to be detained,” Reed said.
Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act — praised by criminal-justice reform organizations that critics describe as “far-left” — sharply limits when judges may hold defendants in custody before trial. Supporters argue the law reduces unnecessary detention, while critics say it allows violent offenders to remain free despite clear warning signs.
The law went into effect in 2023 and was praised by organizations that support criminal-justice reform — including the Pretrial Fairness Campaign, which critics describe as a far-left group. On its website, the group defended the statute, writing: “We must protect these crucial reforms from attacks rooted in racism and fear, which seek to perpetuate the system of mass incarceration.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson downplayed broader public safety concerns.
“As awful and as horrific as this tragedy is, this is an isolated incident,” Johnson said, according to Fox 32 News. “As we continue to invest more in our public transportation system, we want people to feel safe as they ride.”
The case mirrors a similar controversy previously reported by The Dallas Express, in which a North Carolina judge released Decarlos Brown, a schizophrenic felon with a long arrest history, months before he allegedly murdered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard a Charlotte light rail train.