Multiple People Stabbed On Amtrak (12/5/14)

[skuttduck]

I've been lurking on here for a little while, I figured I would post after seeing this.

That was so crazy I just read about this on facebook, and we take the blue water quite a bit as the East Lansing train station is 4 miles from my house. We were just on it on 11/25. I hope all recover fully.

I did read from the Detroit free press that the Niles police department bought the passengers pizza, as the passengers were delayed until 1:30am.

 

[Railroad Bill]

I read the witness report that stated he just walked up the aisle and started stabbing people at random.

Brent always sits on the aisle so I can look out the window. If that guy had stabbed him, Stabby McMentalCase would have been fighting off a plus-sized, seriously pissed-off woman using her laptop to bash his skull in.

Let them arrest me. The guy had a knife, and I was defending myself and my loved one.

Hey Sarah, This is one time when being a mad Wolverine is a good thing..

 

[CHamilton]

An interesting post on Facebook from a guy who lists himself as working for a trucking company. No idea of its veracity, but it sounds plausible.

This guy was a co worker...just broke up with his girlfriend just a day or two ago. Wow I cant believe this. He is suffering from PTSD from what I understand

 

[Bob Dylan]

The stabber is definitely a mental case but breaking up with your girlfriend is not a defense for stabbing four people!

As for the PTSD thing, that's become far too common as a defense by violent offenders! We don't know the nuts background but it wouldn't be a surprise to find out that he had a history of violence and bizzarre social behavior!

Hopefully the Conductor and passengers are doing well and will be back on the train soon!

 

[Trainmans daughter]

I read the witness report that stated he just walked up the aisle and started stabbing people at random.

Brent always sits on the aisle so I can look out the window. If that guy had stabbed him, Stabby McMentalCase would have been fighting off a plus-sized, seriously pissed-off woman using her laptop to bash his skull in.

Let them arrest me. The guy had a knife, and I was defending myself and my loved one.

"Stabby McMentalCase"? Thanks for the best laugh of the day--or week--or month! You are a genius, Sarah!

 

[Steve4031]

I was on a day trip to Detroit and back in the 1990s. On the way back to Chicago I was sitting next to Vietnam vet. He was ok to sit with. There was another guy on there sitting across the aisle who seemed somewhat agitated. The Vietnam vet recognized the symptoms of ptss. When the hep disconnected the other guy was stressed because he didn't know what was going on. The vet asked me because he knew I was knowledgable about trains. I explained and he worked with the other guy to keep him calmed down. The other guy got off and the vet told me it had been a lot more dangerous situation then I realized. He had noticed the guy eyeing the ax that was nearby that was to be used for emergency situations. He was grateful for my info that he used to talk the guy down. At the time I kind of blew it off. Now, I realize that this could have been different.

It's important to be aware of your surroundings. Not paranoid, aware. I work in a school on the south side of Chicago. I've seen gang fights in the halls or in the stands at a sporting event. Usually, there is some sort of commotion before the violence starts. Most times there is time to move away.

After reading this story I understand Amanda. Seeing the blood in the vestibule is a jolt. Trains are my place to escape, relax and enjoy. So I feel a bit violated by this. It won't stop me, but I'll think about it when I pass between cars.

 

[Karl1459]

The stabber is definitely a mental case but breaking up with your girlfriend is not a defense for stabbing four people!

As for the PTSD thing, that's become far too common as a defense by violent offenders! We don't know the nuts background but it wouldn't be a surprise to find out that he had a history of violence and bizzarre social behavior!

Hopefully the Conductor and passengers are doing well and will be back on the train soon!

Dont blow off PTSD. It is real. The symptoms and effects vary... and are different for everyone who is affected. Of course it gets used as an excuse. And in some cases an underlying mental disorder can be made worse by PTSD.

Hopefully the system will sort this guy out and get him effective treatment and/or punishment and/or a residence where he will not hurt other again.

 

[walker46]

The Detroit Free Press had a good follow-up story today. According to his sister who had talked to him on the phone last week, he was seemed to be hallucinating and feared for his life. He told detectives after he was arrested that "guy he was talking to o the train turned into a demon and he had to fight him.” I think he meant literally, not metaphorically.

Because he is a vet who served in a combat area, it is easy to jump to conclusions that he was suffering from PTSD. My uneducated guess is that he has some kind of bi-polar disorder, possibly not at all directly related to his military experience.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/12/08/amtrak-stabbing-attack/20081823/

 

[MikefromCrete]

The Detroit Free Press had a good follow-up story today. According to his sister who had talked to him on the phone last week, he was seemed to be hallucinating and feared for his life. He told detectives after he was arrested that "guy he was talking to o the train turned into a demon and he had to fight him.” I think he meant literally, not metaphorically.

Because he is a vet who served in a combat area, it is easy to jump to conclusions that he was suffering from PTSD. My uneducated guess is that he has some kind of bi-polar disorder, possibly not at all directly related to his military experience.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/12/08/amtrak-stabbing-attack/20081823/

So, you're not a doctor and have never met the guy, but you can make a diagnosis.

 

[walker46]

The Detroit Free Press had a good follow-up story today. According to his sister who had talked to him on the phone last week, he was seemed to be hallucinating and feared for his life. He told detectives after he was arrested that "guy he was talking to o the train turned into a demon and he had to fight him.” I think he meant literally, not metaphorically.

Because he is a vet who served in a combat area, it is easy to jump to conclusions that he was suffering from PTSD. My uneducated guess is that he has some kind of bi-polar disorder, possibly not at all directly related to his military experience.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/12/08/amtrak-stabbing-attack/20081823/

So, you're not a doctor and have never met the guy, but you can make a diagnosis.

I believe I called it a guess, not a diagnosis.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I don't want to demean true PTSD in anyway, its a serious problem among our veterans and many victims of violence!

But the part about a girl friend breaking up with him makes it seem suspicious to me! And Sleezy Defense Attorneys seem to be using this as a Defense far too often in Criminal Trials!

If the guy is truly mentally Ill, and it seems a strong pissibility, I hope he gets the help he needs but NOT as an outpatient or found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. This guy is dangerous and shouldn't be out on the streets where he can be a danger to others!

If he's really a combat veteran it sounds like maybe he either didn't get the help he needed or refused to seek help from the military or VA which admittedly have done a less than stellar job of caring for our veterans!

 

[CHamilton]

Saginaw man accused in Amtrak stabbings is a veteran and 'the system failed him,' sister says

 

[MikefromCrete]

The Detroit Free Press had a good follow-up story today. According to his sister who had talked to him on the phone last week, he was seemed to be hallucinating and feared for his life. He told detectives after he was arrested that "guy he was talking to o the train turned into a demon and he had to fight him.” I think he meant literally, not metaphorically.

Because he is a vet who served in a combat area, it is easy to jump to conclusions that he was suffering from PTSD. My uneducated guess is that he has some kind of bi-polar disorder, possibly not at all directly related to his military experience.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/12/08/amtrak-stabbing-attack/20081823/

So, you're not a doctor and have never met the guy, but you can make a diagnosis.

I believe I called it a guess, not a diagnosis.

What's your basis for your "guess?" If you don't actually know anything, why even "guess?"

 

[walker46]

The Detroit Free Press had a good follow-up story today. According to his sister who had talked to him on the phone last week, he was seemed to be hallucinating and feared for his life. He told detectives after he was arrested that "guy he was talking to o the train turned into a demon and he had to fight him.” I think he meant literally, not metaphorically.

Because he is a vet who served in a combat area, it is easy to jump to conclusions that he was suffering from PTSD. My uneducated guess is that he has some kind of bi-polar disorder, possibly not at all directly related to his military experience.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/12/08/amtrak-stabbing-attack/20081823/

So, you're not a doctor and have never met the guy, but you can make a diagnosis.

I believe I called it a guess, not a diagnosis.

What's your basis for your "guess?" If you don't actually know anything, why even "guess?"

This is getting way off topic but I will respond this one last time. I am not sure why you are obsessed with my guess. If my guess offends you for some reason, I truly apologize. The reason I wrote anything was because others in earlier posts were jumping to the conclusion (guessing) that he was suffering from PTSD based solely on the report that he is a veteran. I wanted to suggest other possibilities than PTSD since it is unfair to veterans to automatically assume that any time someone who happens to be a veteran does something wrong that it is caused by PTSD. Similarly to imply that all people with bi-polar disorders are violent would be incorrect, the vast majority are not. If you think I was trying to somehow imply that, I was not. I am basing my guess on experiences I've had with people with bi-polar disorders. I could be wrong; I’d agree that a few short news articles are not sufficient evidence to base a diagnosis on or even to base a highly confident guess. The way I worded my original statement “uneducated guess” was I thought enough to indicate that I didn't have any inside information and an admission that I entertain the possibility that I could be wrong.

 

[tonys96]

The Detroit Free Press had a good follow-up story today. According to his sister who had talked to him on the phone last week, he was seemed to be hallucinating and feared for his life. He told detectives after he was arrested that "guy he was talking to o the train turned into a demon and he had to fight him.” I think he meant literally, not metaphorically.

Because he is a vet who served in a combat area, it is easy to jump to conclusions that he was suffering from PTSD. My uneducated guess is that he has some kind of bi-polar disorder, possibly not at all directly related to his military experience.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2014/12/08/amtrak-stabbing-attack/20081823/

So, you're not a doctor and have never met the guy, but you can make a diagnosis.

I believe I called it a guess, not a diagnosis.

What's your basis for your "guess?" If you don't actually know anything, why even "guess?"

This is getting way off topic but I will respond this one last time. I am not sure why you are obsessed with my guess. If my guess offends you for some reason, I truly apologize. The reason I wrote anything was because others in earlier posts were jumping to the conclusion (guessing) that he was suffering from PTSD based solely on the report that he is a veteran. I wanted to suggest other possibilities than PTSD since it is unfair to veterans to automatically assume that any time someone who happens to be a veteran does something wrong that it is caused by PTSD. Similarly to imply that all people with bi-polar disorders are violent would be incorrect, the vast majority are not. If you think I was trying to somehow imply that, I was not. I am basing my guess on experiences I've had with people with bi-polar disorders. I could be wrong; I’d agree that a few short news articles are not sufficient evidence to base a diagnosis on or even to base a highly confident guess. The way I worded my original statement “uneducated guess” was I thought enough to indicate that I didn't have any inside information and an admission that I entertain the possibility that I could be wrong.

Good response.

 

[SarahZ]

Mike, let it go. AU is full of "guesses" about many, many things, and as long as someone labels it a guess, it should be taken as such.

 

[VentureForth]

Sorcha, if Michigan had an Amtrak Princess, I would nominate you. I did definitely think about you when I heard about this and if you weren't on the train, I figured you were likely to know someone who was.

I'm thankful that all the wounded are healing. I hope and pray that Michael Williams can get the help he obviously needs - and deserves for defending our freedom.

 

[SarahZ]

Sorcha, if Michigan had an Amtrak Princess, I would nominate you. I did definitely think about you when I heard about this and if you weren't on the train, I figured you were likely to know someone who was.

I'm thankful that all the wounded are healing. I hope and pray that Michael Williams can get the help he obviously needs - and deserves for defending our freedom.

I checked with all of my frequent train traveling friends, and they're all okay. I'm pretty happy. Friday night is a really popular night for people to travel back and forth from Chicago. I had messages from everyone over the course of an hour.

 

[neroden]

Having dealt with a number of severely mentally ill people, I can say confidently that hallucinations are quite rare. There are only a few disorders which cause hallucinations routinely. Schizophrenia is one of them. PTSD is really, really bad for people with schizophrenia, because it can steer hallucinations into a paranoid direction.

Paranoid hallucinations are probably the absolute worst thing which I can imagine happening to anyone (and I know some people it's happened to). It makes for an incredibly sad and miserable life if you nearly always think there are actual demons attacking you. Current treatments for paranoid schizophrenia are.... pretty poor, actually. This is why we need asylums.

 

[CHamilton]

Amtrak stabbing 911 recordings released

 

[THE Whistler]

While this story disturbs me, it must be remembered that the world unfortunately is not crime free. This assault was the work of a criminal lowlife who will now go to prison. The fact that an assault happened on a train should not reflect badly on Amtrak. Assaults can happen anywhere, even in the best neighborhoods, as the recent mugging of Rahm Emanuel's son proves. .

 

[neroden]

Actually, Whistler, from the evidence so, far, this assault was a very sad case: the work of an extremely ill person who thought that he was being pursued by demons.

He should not go to prison. He should go to an asylum for the criminally insane. Hopefully he can be treated, but if not, he can be kept there forever; protect the world from him and him from the world.

 

[Lakeshore]

The incident has been resolved. Not guilty by reason of insanity.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/man-accused-in-amtrak-stabbing-not-guilty-due-to-insanity/2015/10/15/25bfbed6-7353-11e5-ba14-318f8e87a2fc_story.html