Transit union pushes for more police after fatal stabbing at Seattle light rail station

SEATTLE — The union that represents transit workers is renewing their calls to put more police officers on trains and buses in the region.

The stabbing happened Saturday afternoon at the Capitol Hill station. According to police, a 37-year-old man was stabbed and died at the hospital.

Seattle police said officers arrested a 26-year-old man in Eatonville Monday afternoon at around 3:40 p.m. in connection to the incident. Officials continued to say they believe he's the only suspect connected to the deadly stabbing. Seattle police also confirmed U.S. Marshals were involved in the arrest.

The 26-year-old man was booked into the King County Jail, and police said the man's motive for the crime will be released in future probable cause documents.

“This just tells us we have a long way to go to address the safety issues for the public,” said Ken Price, the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 587, which represents bus drivers and train operators.

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Price said the ATU 587 has consistently asked for more police officers on the transit system to intervene in emergencies and arrests people who break the law.

“Train operators are concerned about the not following the rules, the drug smoking, and the intimidation. The enforcement and the accountability is just not there,” he told KOMO News.

The King County Sheriff’s Office operates the Sound Transit police. According to Sound Transit, there are currently 68 officers working in the department, with funding in place for 87 full-time employees.

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Sound Transit has increased the presence of unarmed security guards to around 500 on the system since last year, according to the agency.

“On-site security presence across our system is now more than twice as large as it was in 2022 this is part of a comprehensive effort to make riders feel more comfortable and safe riding on our system,” Sound transit officials wrote in a statement after Saturday’s stabbing.

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Sound Transit is not unique in the challenges of dealing with safety on board trains and buses. ABC News reported this week about a rise in transit crimes in large cities across the country.

"We've had drivers where machetes have been pulled. Urine has been thrown on them. Feces, you name it, whatever they can get their hands on," Christine Ivey, a Los Angeles bus operator for 30 years, told ABC News.

Operators from Sound Transit have reported similar issues, including one operator who told KOMO News on Monday they routinely deal with people who are under the influence of fentanyl on board their trains.

Price, the union president, said he also wants to explore fare enforcement options to keep non-paying passengers off the transit system.

"We need turnstiles. Nothing is off the table, we need everything on the table to make sure we make our operators safe and the public safe out there on the rail system," he said.