A 25-year-old man has been charged with murder after police say he stabbed a woman to death on an Atlanta commuter train in an apparently random attack. John Elijah Matthews was arrested around noon on Saturday, moments after he stepped off the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority train at the Oakland City Station, said MARTA Police Chief Scott Kreher. First responders tried to resuscitate Margaret Swan, 66, but she died at the scene, he said. Matthews waived a bond hearing set for Monday morning, the AP reports.
Kreher said video from the train depicted an unprovoked and chilling attack on an apparent stranger, and that Swan was stabbed up to 20 times. “There’s no evidence at this time to suggest they knew each other—this was merely a random act of violence,” Kreher said. “He walked over, stood next to her, and within 30 seconds he had killed her,” using a small pocket knife, Kreher said. “He looked at her, didn’t say anything to her, pulled out a knife.” Other people were on the train at the time, Kreher said, but the suspect did not approach any of them.
- “He finished attacking her, and he just stood there and waited for the train to stop in Oakland City. He got off the train car, went over on the platform, and just sat down. He didn’t even try to run or hide,” Kreher said.
- Swan, who worked in daycares before she retired, had three children, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, 11Alive reports. Shanae Sams says her mother was a regular transit user and knew the system well. “She wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Sams says. “She was so sweet.”
- A statement from MARTA said the transit authority is committed to protecting riders and responding quickly to incidents. MARTA has 12,000 security cameras in its system, as well as a dedicated police force of 280 officers. “This was a senseless and heartbreaking loss,” the MARTA statement said. “We mourn with Margaret Swan’s loved ones and extend our deepest sympathies during this incredibly difficult time.”
- Kreher said the police force had already planned to step up security by putting officers on six-day workweeks starting Saturday for the FIFA World Cup. But after the stabbing, they decided to implement the longer workweek immediately.
- Sams says a stronger police presence could have stopped the attack. “If the police were on the train, this wouldn’t have happened,” she says. “It shouldn’t be certain stations have the police patrolling. It should be all stations have the police patrolling.” She says her mother carried a knife but the attack happened too suddenly for her to use it. “You know everyone says to protect themselves, but my mom had protection on her,” she says. “It was an act out of nowhere. She didn’t have time to even try to protect herself.”
