A 66-year-old woman was violently stabbed nearly 20 times on a MARTA train Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia, and died during the attack.
11 Alive cited arrest warrants regarding the incident involving the suspect, 25-year-old John Elijah Matthews, who has been charged with the elderly woman’s murder, the outlet reported Monday. The brutal attack happened as the train was approaching the Oakland City station around 11:30 a.m.
The suspect and the victim, Margaret Swan, reportedly did not communicate prior to the incident and Swan was sitting alone. However, Matthews approached the woman, allegedly took out a knife, and cut her throat.
“The warrants then describe Swan screaming and trying to get up from her seat, as Matthews held her and committed the stabbing. He was then seen on the CCTV cameras ‘throwing (Swan) to the floor and standing near her until the train arrived at the Oakland City Station,’ less than two minutes later,” the Alive article read.
Matthews, who authorities said does not have an address or phone number, then exited the train still holding the knife as officers arrived at the scene.
Several witnesses saw the attack unfold and watched as police arrested the suspect near the train. Meanwhile, emergency crews tried to save the victim’s life but were unsuccessful, according to Fox 5.