Relatives of a 23-year-old passenger who was stalked and stabbed without provocation aboard 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 around 5:20 p.m. Sept. 7, 2023, when Randy Lamale Nash allegedly approached Jesse Michael Rodriguez, pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest, the Los Angeles Police Department previously stated.
Rodriguez died later at a hospital. Nash is charged with murder but is not a defendant in the civil suit.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was brought Thursday by Rodriguez's mother, 72-year-old Katherine M. Rodriguez, and Edward Quezada, who adopted the decedent when the then-child was 2 years old.
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The plaintiffs seek unspecified damages as well as reimbursement for funeral and burial expenses.
A Metro spokesman said Friday that the agency does not comment on pending litigation.
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The City Attorney's Office did not reply to a request for comment
The Rodriguez family suit alleges Metro and the city of Los Angeles were no longer enforcing loitering laws at many Metro stations, including the Pershing Square station where the stabbing occurred.
The practice encouraged transients and the mentally ill loiter or stay for long periods at the stations and allowing them to intimidate passengers, the suit alleges.
The suit faults the city and Metro for allegedly not having enough security officers and surveillance cameras on platforms as well as more personnel in passenger cars.
Money originally allocated for more security on Metro was diverted to allow the hiring of transit ambassadors who are not sufficiently trained in law enforcement, the suit states.
