A Los Angeles port engineer intentionally derailed the train in an attempt to sabotage the USNS Mercy hospital ship, prosecutors said.
The Mercy military hospital ship arrived in LA to help with the COVID-19 crisis.
Photo:
Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Lasheba James / US Navy / DVIDS / Courtesy
A train engineer at the Port of Los Angeles faces charges of committing federal crimes for allegedly loading an off-highway locomotive into the USNS Mercy because, according to his statements, suspects that the ship is linked to a government plot by the coronavirus, Federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Eduardo Moreno, 44, from San Pedro, it was turned over to FBI agents on Wednesday and charged with a train crash charge for a train derailment that occurred Tuesday, according to the United States Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.
Moreno admitted that he purposely ran the train to the end of its tracks at full speed near the hospital ship, in two separate interviews, authorities said.
In these photos shared on Instagram on March 31, 2020, you can see the scene of an allegedly intentional train derailment in the Port of Los Angeles, near where the USNS Mercy is docked, (Credit: @ pjreynolds505 / Instagram)
Moreno reportedly told investigators he believed the ship, which docked at the port last week to ease tension in area hospitals during the coronavirus outbreak, had a secret purpose related to COVID-19 or a government takeover.
Moreno said he wanted to "wake people up" and hoped that the derailment would attract media attention so that "people could see it for themselves," according to prosecutors.
The 1,000-bed ship became the largest hospital in Los Angeles when it docked last Friday. On Sunday, he began to board patients who do not have coronavirus, to free up space in other hospitals in the area.
Firefighters responded around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday to the port, to the place where the train stopped about 250 meters from the Mercy hospital ship after crashing into a series of barriers. No injuries were reported, but the derailment did cause a fuel spill that led to a cleanup of hazardous materials.
Moreno attempted to flee the scene but was detained by a California Highway Patrol officer who witnessed the incident, authorities said.
The officer reported seeing the train go through a concrete barrier, a steel barrier, and a wire fence before sliding through a parking lot and a lot of gravel, to rest against another wire fence.
The officer told investigators that when he spoke to Moreno, the suspect said things like, “You only have this opportunity once. The whole world is watching. I had to do it. People don't know what's going on here. Now they will know. ”
Later, Moreno was handed over to the Port of Los Angeles Police, who interviewed the engineer and registered his residence.
A video recovered from inside the train cabin allegedly shows Moreno holding a lit flare, just as the train nearly collided with three occupied vehicles when it crashed.
Moreno told authorities that he acted alone and had not planned the derailment before, authorities said.
The engineer will make his first appearance in court on Wednesday afternoon.
If convicted, you could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
The FBI and the Los Angeles port police continue to investigate.
