Thread: Multiple people stabbed on Amtrak train in Michigan

Multiple people stabbed on Amtrak train in Michigan, person in custody

POSTED 8:03 PM, DECEMBER 5, 2014, BY WGN WEB DESK AND CNN WIRE, UPDATED AT 08:37PM, DECEMBER 5, 2014


(photo credit: Chris Maynard)

Multiple people were wounded in a stabbing incident on an Amtrak train that was traveling from Chicago to Detroit.

Police in Niles Michigan confirm to CNN one person is in custody after stabbing multiple victims on a train in Berrien County, MI.

Niles police received a 911 call at 7 p.m. from Amtrak.

There were no fatalities involved according to police.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

http://wgntv.com/2014/12/05/report-m...n-in-michigan/

People Stabbed, 1 Dead, on Detroit-Bound Amtrak Train Departing from Chicago

The train is stopped in Niles, MI, just north of the Indiana-Michigan state line, near South Bend. WSBT reports 1 fatality.

By Patch Chicago (Patch Staff) December 5, 2014 at 7:57pm







A Detroit-bound Amtrak train from Chicago was disrupted by a knife attack that left at least three people injured Friday night — and one man dead.

Police in Niles, MI, say one person is in police custody. The severity of the injuries is unknown, but WSBT TV in South Bend reports one man is dead.
The attack took place before 7 p.m., according to people on the train who posted comments on Twitter. One witness says one of the victims was a conductor on the train.

Witnesses say passengers have been removed from the train as police investigate. The passengers are in the train station awaiting another train.

The Wolverine 354 train left Chicago at 6 p.m. and was expected in Detroit at 12:18 a.m.

http://patch.com/illinois/lakeview/p...arting-chicago

A 44-year-old man was taken into custody after stabbing four passengers aboard an Amtrak train traveling from Chicago Friday.

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/n...284942371.html

. . . Police have not identified the suspect at this point, but said he is a 44-year-old man from Saginaw, Mich., who boarded the train in Chicago . . .

http://abc7chicago.com/news/amtrak-t...e-say-/424474/

“I heard somebody screaming and yelling just loud. I look up and there's an African American gentleman standing over someone who's sitting down in one of the first seats in the car and I see him have his fist up and then bring it down,” Cipri said.

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/break...niles/30085188

Man charged with attempted murder in Amtrak attack

Mark Hicks, The Detroit News12:24 p.m. EST December 6, 2014


(Photo: Courtesy of WNDU)


Police say a man accused of stabbing an Amtrak conductor and three train passengers in southwestern Michigan has been charged with four counts of attempted murder.

Niles Police Chief Jim Millin identified the man as 44-year-old Michael Williams of Saginaw. It wasn't immediately known when he'll appear in Berrien County court.

Williams was arrested Friday evening after the four people were stabbed on an Amtrak train near Niles, police said.

Niles Police Department confirmed there were multiple victims in the incident reported about 7 p.m. on the state's southwest side.


A photo posted on Twitter by an Amtrak passenger shows police had handcuffed a suspect in the stabbing of four people on the train in Niles, on Friday.(Photo: Chris Maynard/Twitter @Chris_Maynard)

The victims included a conductor, and a woman and two men, Niles Mayor Michael McCauslin said. They were taken to Lakeland Healthcare Hospital in Niles and Memorial Hospital of South Bend, Indiana, but he didn't have information on their conditions.

The train was stopped about 9:45 p.m. as police investigated.

Michigan State Police and Berrien County Sheriff's deputies assisted, McCauslin said.

Passenger Caitlin Cipri told the South Bend Tribune that she was packing her things to get off the train when she heard screaming.

She initially thought the suspect was punching a passenger until she saw the butt of a knife. Cipri said she then saw the man stab two other people.

"It was terrifying and you don't think something like that is going to happen to you," Cipri said. "It's terrifying that things like this happen."
News of the incident sparked several responses on Twitter, where a user posted pictures that appeared to show a man handcuffed, face-down on the floor of a train.

One user posted a picture of what appeared to be a blood-spattered corridor. He wrote: "one victim was a conductor. Sad sad stuff."

One man tweeted: "Friend on Amtrak currently stuck in Niles, MI. Stabbing attack, suspect in custody. 4 people seen on stretchers, 1 worse than others."

Another wrote: "I am on Amtrak. Guy in car ahead of us stabbed passengers. Police got him. Injuries not fatal. We are near Niles MI We will be transferred."

A woman on board suggested in her tweet that another train was available "but only taking passengers going to battle creek. the rest of us are stuck."

Kimberly Woods, Amtrak spokeswoman, said the incident took place on Train 364 — which travels daily between Chicago and Port Huron and was heading to the Michigan city.

"The Niles City Police Department has a person in custody and the investigation into the incident is ongoing. The Amtrak Police Department is assisting in the investigation," Woods wrote in an email to The Detroit News.

"Amtrak has arranged alternate transportation for 172 passengers."

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...iles/19984391/

Man says he saw demon before train stabbings

| December 8, 2014 | Updated: December 8, 2014 3:59pm

• 

• Photo By Berrien County Sheriff's Department via the South Bend Tribune/AP
  
• In this undated photo provided by the Berrien County Sheriff's Department via the South Bend Tribune, Michael Williams, 44, of Saginaw, Michigan, poses for a booking photo, in Michigan. Williams, accused of stabbing a conductor and three passengers on an Amtrak passenger train in southwestern Michigan before officers subdued him, has been charged with four counts of attempted murder, police said Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014. Police did not disclose a possible motive, and it wasn't immediately clear when Williams would make his initial court appearance on the charges.
  

NILES, Mich. (AP) — A man accused of stabbing four people while on an Amtrak train in southwest Michigan told police he began the attack after seeing a demon.

Court documents released Monday show that 44-year-old Michael D. Williams told investigators he started stabbing people Friday night after he saw a man turn into a demon.

Williams, of Saginaw, is being held on a $1 million bond. He pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges Monday and requested a court-appointed attorney.

Investigators say he stabbed a conductor and three passengers when the train stopped in Niles, near the Indiana border. Police subdued Williams with a stun gun.

Police said the victims were in stable condition.

Williams was riding from Chicago to Port Huron, which is 60 miles northeast of Detroit.
___
Information from: The Saginaw News, http://www.mlive.com/saginaw

http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Saginaw-man-faces-hearing-in-train-stabbings-5942204.php