A man with a violent prior record and a history of mental illness is accused of trying to shove a stranger onto train tracks twice in Seattle.
Surveillance video captured Elisio Melendez, 26, stalking an unsuspecting traveler before allegedly trying to shove him, not once, but twice into the path of an oncoming train, Fox News reported.
The man was able to catch himself at the last minute and escape the attack, avoiding a potentially deadly fall. The incident occurred at the Northgate light rail station in what prosecutors are calling attempted murder.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the video shows Melendez “carefully timed assault” and waited until a train was coming to push the man.
“This story ends with great work by our Sound Transit deputies who took a dangerous person off the streets,” the King County Sheriff’s Office said, calling footage of the incident “quite chilling.”
Melendez ran off after the alleged attack, but investigators were able to track him to a nearby mental health community center where he lived, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office. They arrested him at the residence on March 24.
Melendez was booked into the King County Correctional Facility and is being held on $750,000 bail. He is facing an attempted second-degree murder charge, according to the report.
A court ordered a mental health evaluation to determine whether Melendez is competent to stand trial, prosecutors said.
“Prosecutors noted that once a defendant is found not competent and not restorable, there is no legal path to continue a criminal case,” according to the report. “They also emphasized that a competency evaluation does not mean charges will be dropped, and cases can remain active for months while courts attempt to restore a defendant’s ability to stand trial.”
Defense attorneys argue Melendez has a history of mental illness, including schizophrenia, KOMO News reported. They said he has previously been deemed incompetent to stand trial.
The report cited records indicating he has been in and out of treatment for years and has been accused of other violent acts. In 2018, he was facing assault charges for allegedly randomly punching a woman in church.
In 2019, he was arrested for allegedly stabbing his sister in the stomach. That case was dismissed after he was found incompetent to stand trial, although he was civilly committed to Western State Hospital.
After the 2019 assault case was dismissed, Melendez was civilly committed to Western State Hospital.
“A 2021 report from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) described Melendez as having a ‘clear history of problems with violence’ and symptoms of a major mental illness, noting he was at an elevated risk for reoffending,” the report details. “That report also noted there was a 2020 incident during treatment when Melendez reportedly ‘attempted to punch/attack a peer when he mistakenly thought this peer was yelling at him.’”
Read the full article here