Photo: Yurou Guan / Moment / Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The city of Los Angeles has filed a cross- complaint against Metro stemming from the killing 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.
The attack occurred at 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.
The underlying Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was brought against Metro and the city of Los Angeles on Sept. 19 by Rodriguez's mother, 72-year- old Katherine M. Rodriguez, and Edward Quezada, who adopted Jesse Rodriguez at age 2.
The city's cross-complaint, brought Tuesday, seeks a judicial determination that Metro was the legal cause of any injuries and damages sustained by Jesse Rodriguez and that Metro compensate the city, wholly or in part, for any damages Katherine Rodriguez may recover against the city.
On Nov. 25, Metro brought a similar indemnification cross-complaint against Nash.
Rodriguez died at a hospital after the stabbing. Nash is charged with murder, but is not a defendant in the underlying civil suit in which the Rodriguez family alleges Metro and the city of Los Angeles were no longer enforcing loitering laws at many Metro stations. The Rodriguez suit states the stabbing occurred at or near the Pershing Square and that the allegedly lax enforcement there encouraged transients and the mentally ill to loiter or stay for long periods at the stations and allowed them to intimidate passengers.
The Rodriguez suit also 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 Rodriguez suit states.