Posted on 01/27/2005 10:28:27 AM PST by Smogger
GLENDALE --The 25-year-old man accused of causing the chain-reaction Metrolink derailment that killed 11 passengers and injured 180 others was charged early today with multiple counts of murder. Juan Manuel Alvarez, of Compton, was being held without bail at a hospital's jail ward, pending his arraignment this afternoon.
Alvarez is accused of leaving his Jeep Grand Cherokee on a railroad track after apparently changing his mind about committing suicide. Relatives said he was despondent over marital problems.
''He's not going to engage my sympathy because he was despondent. His despondency doesn't move me,'' District Attorney Steve Cooley told The Associated Press. ''The special circumstance alleged could lead to the death penalty but only after a careful evaluation of all the facts and circumstances that related to the particular incident that we're all aware of and Mr. Alvarez's background.''
Shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday, commuters were thrown flying through the cars and trapped beneath tons of twisted metal as the double-deck rail cars toppled and flames danced around them.
After hitting the Jeep Grand Cherokee on the tracks, the front of southbound Train 100 hurtled into a Union Pacific locomotive parked on a parallel track, while its other cars swept into oncoming northbound Train 901.
Even before a massive emergency response effort was launched, nearby residents and workers rushed to help passengers, many of them dazed and bleeding as they stumbled from the wreckage.
''This is a complete outrage,'' Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca said in angry comments at a news conference. ''The people who ride trains to Los Angeles deserve better than this.
''That an individual would deliberately put their car on tracks, cause a train derailment, affect the lives of hundreds of people and, in effect, kill people, this is a tragedy we will certainly mourn.''
Among the nine men and two women killed were a uniformed sheriff's deputy headed to work, several government employees and one of the conductors.
Alvarez was found near the wreckage and placed under arrest.
Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams said Alvarez _ who officials said had tried to commit suicide earlier by slashing his wrists and cutting himself _ watched the chaos after fleeing his vehicle.
''This whole incident started by a deranged individual who was suicidal,'' Adams said. ''He was very distraught and upset and realized he caused a major disaster.''
Passengers described being hurled from their seats as the trains collided, and then rescuing one another from the wreckage in the predawn dark. A fire broke out, and 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled.
''People just flew out of their seats and hit the walls,'' said Bernan Castro, a Washington Mutual insurance agent who had boarded the southbound train in Burbank.
''We smelled the fire. ... It was engulfing (one fourth of) the train. It just looked like a war zone. ... There was blood everywhere.''
Doug Parsons of Northridge also was aboard the train, headed for his job at the Metropolitan Water District downtown.
''We were right on schedule. Right in here, we usually pass another train. We heard some gravel fly and then ... the big boom. The car in front of us went sideways. ... That's when we saw the other train.''
Tracy West of Northridge, who suffered serious cuts to her right leg, described a nightmarish scene:
''I just remember flipping and flipping and flipping. ... My feet were over my head. People were hurt, dripping with blood. You just offer to help anyone you can.''
On the northbound train, headed from Union Station to Burbank, Nelson Goyzueta said he watched the rail car in front of his rock back and forth on the track before toppling to the side.
''The third one did cartwheels _ it was way off to the side,'' said Goyzueta, who was on his way to work with other employees of Senior Aerospace in Burbank. ''It was mayhem.''
The National Transportation Safety Board and other government agencies sent investigators.
The tracks run next to a big-box shopping center anchored by a Costco, where triage was set up and store workers helped with the rescue.
Hundreds of firefighters descended on the scene within minutes of the 6:02 a.m. crash, dousing flames, spraying foam on the fuel spill and extricating wounded from the cars.
Firefighters described a horrific scene where bloodied passengers were helping each other off the train and responders could hear the cries for help.
''It was unbelievable _ all you could think was, `Go in and get those people out,' '' said firefighter Oscar Stokes, 38. ''There was a lot of blood.''
Rescuers used extrication tools to cut out those trapped in the wreckage and shopping carts from Costco to wheel victims to triage until more gurneys arrived.
Dogs were brought in to search for survivors and cameras to probe dark crevices in the wreckage.
Dozens of paramedic trucks formed single-file lines to quickly load and carry the wounded to 16 area hospitals.
They treated and transported 123 victims, including 70 in critical condition. They assessed and released 60 others at the scene.
''It had to be the worst multicasualty incident I've been to,'' Los Angeles Fire Capt. Rick Godinez said. ''It was a devastating sight.
''We could see walking wounded. We knew we had a pretty traumatic situation.''
Elected officials expressed outrage at the tragedy but praised the rescue effort that reached across jurisdictions to handle the crisis.
''Words can't describe, when you look into the cars, the violence of the crash,'' Mayor James Hahn said at a news conference. ''It's a miracle that more people didn't die.''
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent his own condolences and those of his wife, Maria Shriver, to the victims and survivors.
''We want to thank the 300 firefighters that rushed to the scene and are doing good action to rescue the injured people from the wreckage. And we also want to thank the medical personnel who tended the injured.''
Glendale Mayor Bob Yousefian urged the federal government to provide funding to enhance grade crossings, while expressing shock and sadness at the tragedy.
''Nothing of this magnitude has happened (before) in Glendale,'' he said. ''He just came to Glendale to commit suicide. And we have no idea why he did this.''
Sorry I also have no sympathy for this guy.
He should just be put back on the train tracks and let the next one run over him.
REALLY!!!! I am just stunnded!!!
For the sake of his own family members he should have stayed in the Jeep. What an unmitagated selfish Bastard.
No sympathy for this idiot. All he had to do was drive the SUV off the tracks but all he did was jump and run. I just cannot figure why he didn't just drive off. It boggles the mind and elicits no feelings of sympathy from me for this idiot.
Just out of curiosity, have any media outlets or law enforcement authorities reported yet whether this guy is an American citizen or an illegal alien?
Watch. In Californistan they will charge the SUV and drop charges against its driver..
I'm really surpised that a Jeep would cause a train derailment. I would think a train would just knock a vehicle off the track.
Aren't there places in Compton to commit suicide?! Why did he go to Glendale, to kill some Yuppies with him?!
It's sad to say but he could have made it easier on himself if he had simply walked up to a really mean gang-banger and said "Please shoot me!" At least 11 people would still be alive now and he wouldn't have to wait 20 years to get exectuted in the California Prision system.
The train was vertical on the front. For some reason, they don't put "cow catchers" on them anymore. If the train had some sort of thing like that, the jeep would have been tossed to the side of the tracks rather than under the engine which caused the derailment.
I wondered about that too, but most of these commuter trains don't have a heavy locomotive pulling it like Amtrack or the freight trains have and they also don't go as fast because they have more frequent stops.
If that had been an Amtrack train, there would have been nothing left of the SUV and the people on the train, except in the front cars would have even noticed there was a problem until they realised they were making an unscheduled stop for police investigation.
Do not take this terrorists word for his motive. It's pretty obvious that it was his job to drop an SUV in the way of the trains.
It sure does. I would use a propane truck or a gasoline truck, though. First thing that came to my mind after witnessing the massive carnage.
I don't think he was trying to commit suicide.
I think he was trying to lay a HUGE guilt trip on his ex-wife and take out a lot of innocent people with his frustration.
If he *really* wanted to commit suicide, he would have succeeded.
He could have simply put some electric wires in his mouth and plugged it into a wall. He could have driven his jeep at 75 into a concrete bridge pillar. Many ways to kill yourself without taking others in the process...
Just another nice hardworking immigrant.
This is a case of one person's very, very bad decision which in turn affects probably 1000s of other people. Full responsibility needs to be taken....
Glendale Mayor Bob Yousefian urged the federal government to provide funding to enhance grade crossings, while expressing shock and sadness at the tragedy.
urging federal funding and expressing shock and sadness at the same time......quite talented individual
I didn't see anything in the article that indicated he was an immigrant. Lots of folks in CA with hispanic names who have several generations of native-born ancestors.
See post 8 of this thread.
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