Share
LOS ANGELES — A train engineer intentionally drove a speeding locomotive off a track at the Port of Los Angeles because he was suspicious about the presence of a Navy hospital ship docked there to help during the coronovirus crisis, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
The locomotive crashed through a series of barriers and fences before coming to rest more than 250 yards from the U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Mercy on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a release.
Nobody was hurt.
Eduardo Moreno, 44, was charged with one count of train wrecking, prosecutors said. It wasn’t immediately known if he has an attorney.
Moreno acknowledged in two separate interviews with law enforcement that he intentionally derailed and crashed the train near the Mercy, according to the criminal complaint.
“You only get this chance once. The whole world is watching. I had to,” Moreno told investigators, according to the complaint. “People don’t know what’s going on here. Now they will.”
Moreno said he was suspicious of the Mercy and believed it had an alternate purpose related to COVID-19 or a government takeover, an affidavit states. Moreno stated that he acted alone and had not pre-planned the attempted attack.
In an interview with FBI agents, Moreno stated that “he did it out of the desire to ‘wake people up,’” according to an affidavit.
“Moreno stated that he thought that the USNS Mercy was suspicious and did not believe ‘the ship is what they say it’s for,'” the complaint said.
Train Smashed Through Concrete Barrier at End of Track
The Mercy arrived in port this week to provide a thousand hospital beds for non-coronavirus cases to take the load of regional medical centers expecting a surge of COVID-19 patients.
Cell phone video showed the locomotive upright in a patch of dirt. It apparently smashed through a concrete barrier at the end of the track, slid across pavement and gravel, and hit a chain-link fence before coming to a rest.
Phillip Sanfield, spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles, said the locomotive never came close to the Mercy.
“It would have had to have gone several hundred yards through a parking lot and cross a water channel to reach the ship,” Sanfield said. “ The tracks are nowhere near the Mercy.”
The engineer wasn’t a port employee but apparently was working for Pacific Harbor Line Inc., a train company that handles cargo in the port and connects to major railroad lines, Sanfield said. The company didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
A small fuel leak was quickly controlled and port operations weren’t seriously affected, Sanfield said.
Moreno was arrested by a California Highway Patrol officer who witnessed the crash and captured him as he fled the scene. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Port of Los Angeles Police are now leading the investigation.
The CHP officer reported seeing “the train smash into a concrete barrier at the end of the track, smash into a steel barrier, smash into a chain-link fence, slide through a parking lot, slide across another lot filled with gravel, and smash into a second chain-link fence,” according to an affadavit.
RELATED TOPICS:
Ancient DNA Reveals a New Group of People Who Lived Near Land Bridge Between the Americas
17 hours ago
Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants
1 day ago
Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices
1 day ago
Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap
1 day ago
California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law
1 day ago
Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy
2 days ago
Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump
2 days ago
Townsizing? Land Snorkeling? A User’s Guide to the Latest Travel Lingo
16 hours ago
Categories

Townsizing? Land Snorkeling? A User’s Guide to the Latest Travel Lingo

Trump Trade War Has Already Had Huge Effect on California Ports

Cambodian American Chefs Are Finding Success and Raising Their Culture’s Profile. On Their Terms

Ancient DNA Reveals a New Group of People Who Lived Near Land Bridge Between the Americas

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap
