Man stabbed on Link light rail in SeaTac after alleged fight

A man is recovering after being stabbed during a fight aboard a Link light rail train in SeaTac Monday night.

King County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived to the SeaTac/Airport Station at International Boulevard and South 176th Street at 10:30 p.m. Monday after the fight was reported.

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“We should use public transportation, but if it’s not safe, who wants to use it then?” one Sound Transit passenger told KIRO 7.

“If the (attacks) are more random, that’s definitely starting to get more concerning for sure,” another passenger added.

The victim was approximately in his mid-30s to early 40s, while the suspect is allegedly in his 40s. The suspect was detained in King County jail by deputies after the attack.

This is the second violent attack on Sound Transit in recent months after a 26-year-old man was shot and killed on Light Rail Feb. 25. In total, there have been 256 violent occurrences towards passengers since June 2023, according to Sound Transit spokesperson John Gallagher. He stated the agency averages about 2 million boardings each month.

In 2024, Sound Transit received 105 assault reports, a higher rate than in past years The Seattle Times identified. Most of them were verbal abuse of transit operators, while 47 were physical assaults. In addition, such counts have risen in recent months because more security guards are out in transit stations to either observe or take reports of minor incidents. Sound Transit averaged 42 security complaints per month from riders during 2023, according to the agency’s Performance Metrics Monthly Report.

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Sound Transit stated the department employs 480 security personnel, double what they had in 2022.

Contributing: KIRO 7

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.