A woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to murdering an off-duty Metro employee, who was stabbed on a Metro B Line train at a downtown Los Angeles rail station last year.
Irma Beatriz Monroy, 25, of Los Angeles, allegedly got into an argument with Louis Rabinowitz inside the train near the 7th Street/Metro Center Station and stabbed the 54-year-old victim once in the chest on Oct. 16.
Authorities said the assailant was seen exiting the station pushing a “distinctive” green bicycle. She was arrested three days later by Los Angeles police officers and has remained jailed since then, according to jail records.
Officers recovered the knife allegedly used in the stabbing, along with the bicycle, police said.
Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington said the victim had worked at Metro for more than 18 years, most recently in the rail operations division.
He said the transit agency was “grateful for the quick response and action taken by our law enforcement partners” in the apprehension and arrest of the suspect.
“It is through this quick response that riders and fellow Metro employees can be assured that safety on our system is top priority and individuals who commit such acts of violence will be aggressively pursued and brought to justice,” Washington said.
Monroy had been charged in a separate case last Sept. 25 with one count of assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly assaulting her brother with a weight on Aug. 31.