An engineer deliberately ran a train off the tracks at high speed near the Port of Los Angeles in an attempt to crash into the USNS Mercy hospital ship, prosecutors say.
The Pacific Harbor Line train derailed Tuesday, running through the end of the track and crashing through barriers, finally coming to rest about 250 yards from the docked naval ship.
Federal prosecutors allege train engineer Eduardo Moreno, 44, of San Pedro intended to hit the ship, saying he thought it was “suspicious” and did not believe “the ship is what they say it’s for.'”
The train crashed into a concrete barrier at the end of the track, smashed through a steel barrier and a chain-link fence, slid through one parking lot and then a second lot filled with gravel and hit a second chain-link fence. It came to rest after passing under a ramp leading to the Vincent Thomas Bridge. The train remained in that position Wednesday.
No one was injured in the derailment, but the train leaked fuel that required a hazmat response.
FLASHBACK: Jill Biden visited Minnesota to tout billions in childcare spending during husband’s administration
Blue state’s billionaire exodus about to get much worse in 2026, insider warns
Trump Boom Continues as GDP Shoots Up, Trade Deficit Plummets to Lowest Level Since 2009
Attorney Adamantly Declares ‘Nick Reiner Is Not Guilty of Murder’ After Suddenly Quitting the Case
US struggles to rein in Syrian allies as Kurds and government come to blows in Aleppo
GOP bets Minnesota fraud scandal will buoy long-shot bid to flip Senate seat
Newsom touts California’s numerous legal fights with Trump administration in final State of the State address
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Jeffries slams Noem over Minneapolis shooting response
ICE Arrests Somali Illegal Alien Sex Offender in Minneapolis – Tim Walz Let Him ‘Prowl the Streets’ for Years
Watch: White House Fires Back Against Jimmy Kimmel’s ‘Sick Depravity’ in Wake of Minneapolis Shooting
Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: Rubio takes aim at Israel’s enemies in Venezuela
Noem says Trump administration is ‘on offense,’ using ‘every single tool that we have’ to protect Americans
Mamdani adviser, Warren in the hot seat as collapse of Roomba maker shifts data to China
Vance calls Walz ‘a joke,’ claims Minnesota governor enabled massive fraud
Iran reportedly cuts internet as anti-government protests swell: What to know
Authorities say Moreno admitted to crashing the train intentionally, but said he did not plan it out in advance. It is believed that he acted alone.
He allegedly made statements to a CHP officer that included “You only get this chance once. The whole world is watching. I had to. People don’t know what’s going on here. Now they will.”
Officials say video from inside the train’s cab shows Moreno holding a lighted flare during the incident.
Moreno has been charged with one count of train wrecking, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
The Mercy arrived at the Port of Los Angeles this weekend.
The Navy hospital ship was brought in to handle non-coronavirus patients, to help ease the burden of local hospitals that are surging with COVID-19 cases.
The ship has about 1,000 hospital beds, with some 800 active-duty doctors, nurses and medical staff on board. It is expected to stay in Los Angeles at least until September or until it is no longer needed.
Story cited here.
