Global Courant 2023-04-27 05:03:15
A man who was attacked by a machete-wielding assailant on his way to the Chatsworth subway station has filed a claim against the City of Los Angeles, saying unsafe conditions are to blame.
Brent Meldeau, 53, was walking towards the station on March 2 when, he said, “he heard someone coming towards me and I see this man with his hand in the air. Then he hit me in the face with a machete.”
“I was in shock,” he said. “I dropped my phone. As I was running away, he asked me if I wanted some more.” Meldeau said the blow nearly knocked him unconscious. The attack left him with a large gash on his face. The claim calls for monetary damages.
His lawyer, Cyrus Shahriari, said in a statement that “lack of security and adequate lighting at Chatsworth tube station not only endangers public safety but also undermines the community’s sense of security and well-being.”
“The city’s negligent maintenance of the property increases the likelihood that these kinds of criminal incidents can take place,” he said.
Shahriari also blamed “uncontrolled homeless camps in dark areas”. He and his client claim the attacker was out of the house.
Representatives from the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Security issues have plagued Los Angeles’ public transportation systems, prompting authorities to consider additional security. With illicit drug use and crime on the rise, passenger numbers are struggling to recover from pre-pandemic levels.
At the end of February, train boarding rates were below two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels. Reports of serious crimes are up 24% in 2022 from 2021, according to data presented to Metro’s board of directors by Gina Osborn, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s top safety officer.
“I have a false sense of security because it’s the town I grew up in, but it’s not the same town,” Meldeau said of Chatsworth.
“Crime is out of control in that area. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through what happened to me.”
Times staff writer Rachel Uranga contributed to this report.
