Authorities investigating two violent attacks on Link light rail

The King County Sheriff’s office and Sound Transit are investigating two violent attacks that happened last weekend on Link light rail trains.

Suspects in the crimes remain at large.

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The first incident happened last Friday. One man attacked another with a rock near the SODO Station. The victim, a man in his 50s, was struck in the head multiple times. He was taken to the hospital. No condition was available. According to King County Sheriff’s spokesperson Zoe Birbeck, the attack appeared to be “unprovoked.”

The other attack happened Sunday when one man stabbed another at the Angle Lake station. Early reports were the two men were in a verbal altercation before the incident. A man in his 50s was taken to Harborview Medical Center. Transit police were in the station’s parking garage and rushed over, but the assailant had fled, according to Birkbeck.

Sound Transit’s John Gallagher told KIRO Newsradio that neither attack appears to have been random and there’s no reason for riders to be concerned.

“Even though the overall number of assaults on Link remains very low, we take these incidents very seriously and we have increased our security presence on the system as a result,” Gallegher explained.

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Authorities said these are not attacks on random passengers and in both incidents, they appear to have known each other.

“Our Sound Transit deputies are great at being proactive and being present,” Birbeck said. “Some are undercover and we are always working to keep our community members safe.”