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LA straphanger stabbed in throat, dies in random subway attack: cops

A straphanger who was fatally stabbed in the throat in a random subway attack at a California metro station early Monday with her alleged attacker now in handcuffs.

Elliot Tramel Nowden, 45, was arrested and charged with murder just 30 minutes after the shocking unprovoked attack at 5 a.m. at the Universal City Station, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

Police said Nowden was on the B-Line train with the victim when he suddenly slashed her throat as the car pulled into the station leaving the victim bleeding on the platform as horrified commuters looked on.

Universal City Station
A straphanger who was fatally stabbed in the throat in a random subway attack at a California metro station early Monday — with her alleged attacker now in handcuffs. KTLA-5

The accused killer then fled the station, while the victim was rushed to a local hospital where she was later pronounced dead, the department said.

At about 5:30 a.m., alert cops on patrol in North Hollywood spotted Nowden, who fit the description of the attacker and took him in for questioning.

He was charged based on eyewitness accounts and other evidence and ordered held on $2 million bail.

“Investigators believe there are additional, unreported victims of Nowden,” LAPD said in a statement.

Mugshot of Elliot Tramel Nowden
Los Angeles police said Elliot Tramel Nowden, 45, was charged with murder after allegedly slashing a straphanger in the throat in a random subway attack early Monday morning. Los Angeles Police Department

The attack came on Earth Day, when metro trains and buses in the City of Angels are free of charge, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

The outlet said homicides on LA subway trains have inched upward in recent years, from none in 2019 to six last year, even as ridership is growing 5.7 million riders in March up from 5.1 million in February.