SUV Left On Train Tracks With Intent To Cause Crash, Police Say
Amended Complaint Accuses Alvarez Of Intent
UPDATED: 6:59 am CST February 18, 2005
LOS ANGELES -- Authorities filed a new charge against a man accused of leaving his sport utility vehicle on a set of railroad tracks in a fatal train wreck last month.Investigators now say Juan Manuel Alvarez left the SUV on the track with the intent of causing a train wreck. Authorities initially believed Alvarez's actions were part of a suicide attempt.
Read: People v. Alvarez Felony Complaint
Police said Alvarez fled on foot as the train approached.Glendale police released a statement Thursday afternoon."Although first impressions may lead some to believe that Mr. Alvarez was attempting to commit suicide, the investigation has revealed that his actions are not consistent with that of an individual who was attempting to follow through with that act," investigators said in the statement.Police said that although Alvarez "may have contemplated suicide, his actions were deliberate with the intent on causing horrific tragedy."Investigators said they believe Alvarez thought his actions would impress his estranged wife. They said he cut himself after the crash out of frustration."A lot of the evidence will relate to the fact that he was in a bad relationship with his former wife, and he was trying to win her back in some bizarre way that we can't explain," said Lt Jon PerkinsEric Chase, Alvarez's attorney, called the police statements "vicious and callous" and a "reckless distortion."The district attorney's office has not decided whether it will seek the death penalty for Alvarez.Alvarez, 25, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 11 murder charges. He also pleaded not guilty to a charge of arson causing great bodily injury. Authorities said earlier this week that the SUV was doused in gasoline.The defendant's estranged wife, Carmelita Alvarez, was among a number of family members on hand at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse for his Tuesday arraignment. The 28-year-old woman, who has spoken with her husband, said he was "very sad.""He didn't mean to hurt anybody. He really didn't mean to hurt anybody," Carmelita Alvarez said after the hearing."What he wanted is to take his own life," she said. "But he said that he felt a presence, like a presence from God, telling him to get out of there, you know? And he tried to move his vehicle, he tried. He never thought that would happen. He just thought the train would take his vehicle."The Metrolink train that collided with the SUV then slammed into an oncoming Metrolink train, killing 11 people and injuring more than 180 others. The collision at the Glendale-Los Angeles city line was the deadliest U.S. train crash since 1999.Southbound train No. 100 from Ventura County left Moorpark at 5:07 the morning of Jan. 26. At 6:01 a.m., it struck the SUV left on the tracks. The impact caused train No. 100 to derail, hit a parked Union Pacific locomotive to the right, and, as it jackknifed, strike northbound Metrolink train No. 901, which had left Union Station in downtown Los Angeles at 5:48 a.m.Alvarez, whose last known address was in Compton, was taken into custody soon afterward and was under suicide watch because of what authorities described as self-inflicted knife injuries to his chest and wrists.
Read: People v. Alvarez Felony ComplaintPolice said Alvarez fled on foot as the train approached.Glendale police released a statement Thursday afternoon."Although first impressions may lead some to believe that Mr. Alvarez was attempting to commit suicide, the investigation has revealed that his actions are not consistent with that of an individual who was attempting to follow through with that act," investigators said in the statement.Police said that although Alvarez "may have contemplated suicide, his actions were deliberate with the intent on causing horrific tragedy."Investigators said they believe Alvarez thought his actions would impress his estranged wife. They said he cut himself after the crash out of frustration."A lot of the evidence will relate to the fact that he was in a bad relationship with his former wife, and he was trying to win her back in some bizarre way that we can't explain," said Lt Jon PerkinsEric Chase, Alvarez's attorney, called the police statements "vicious and callous" and a "reckless distortion."The district attorney's office has not decided whether it will seek the death penalty for Alvarez.Alvarez, 25, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 11 murder charges. He also pleaded not guilty to a charge of arson causing great bodily injury. Authorities said earlier this week that the SUV was doused in gasoline.The defendant's estranged wife, Carmelita Alvarez, was among a number of family members on hand at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse for his Tuesday arraignment. The 28-year-old woman, who has spoken with her husband, said he was "very sad.""He didn't mean to hurt anybody. He really didn't mean to hurt anybody," Carmelita Alvarez said after the hearing."What he wanted is to take his own life," she said. "But he said that he felt a presence, like a presence from God, telling him to get out of there, you know? And he tried to move his vehicle, he tried. He never thought that would happen. He just thought the train would take his vehicle."The Metrolink train that collided with the SUV then slammed into an oncoming Metrolink train, killing 11 people and injuring more than 180 others. The collision at the Glendale-Los Angeles city line was the deadliest U.S. train crash since 1999.Southbound train No. 100 from Ventura County left Moorpark at 5:07 the morning of Jan. 26. At 6:01 a.m., it struck the SUV left on the tracks. The impact caused train No. 100 to derail, hit a parked Union Pacific locomotive to the right, and, as it jackknifed, strike northbound Metrolink train No. 901, which had left Union Station in downtown Los Angeles at 5:48 a.m.Alvarez, whose last known address was in Compton, was taken into custody soon afterward and was under suicide watch because of what authorities described as self-inflicted knife injuries to his chest and wrists.
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