The homeless man accused of fatally stabbing a 67-year-old woman in the neck on a Los Angeles Metro train is facing the potential of life in prison after being formally charged Wednesday by the district attorney’s office.  

The unprovoked attack occurred in the early morning hours of April 22 as the victim, identified by family as Mirna Soza, was on a subway train from North Hollywood headed toward Union Station. 

After being stabbed in the throat with two small kitchen knives, the victim got off the train at the Universal City B Line Station while bleeding profusely, the Los Angeles Police Department stated following the incident Monday. 

The 67-year-old was assisted by security personnel before being rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.  

Soza, who worked as a security guard, was on her way home from an overnight shift when she was attacked. She is survived by her three children and seven grandchildren.

The suspect in the attack, identified by police as Elliot Tramel Nowden, was arrested on suspicion of murder and was being held on $2 million bail, authorities said.  

Investigators said Nowden exited the subway at the same station as Soza and fled before being caught a short time later near Ventura Boulevard and Vineland Avenue. 

Nowden, who is 45 years old and described by police as a transient, has been in trouble for harassing and attacking Metro passengers in the past. 

In July 2019, he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon while on probation for attacking another passenger earlier that year, police said Tuesday. 

Nowden was sentenced in December 2019 to four years in state prison but continued to frequent Metro stations after his release. 

He was in custody several times this year, including in February when he was arrested for an assault at the same Red Line station, police said. 

Authorities say Nowden and the victim did not know each other and believe there are other victims who have been assaulted. 

“This tragic and senseless act of violence on an innocent Metro passenger has shaken our community as thousands take the Metro daily as a form of transportation,” L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón said in a news release. “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. These acts of violence have no place in our society and our office will continue to work to ensure that justice is served to those who commit these egregious crimes.” 

The 45-year-old was charged with one count of murder and one count of first-degree robbery of a transit passenger.  

“It also is alleged the crime was committed as a robbery-murder special circumstance, that the defendant personally used a deadly weapon, and that the victim was vulnerable during the commission of the crime,” the release noted.  

At his arraignment on Wednesday, prosecutors recommended that Nowden be held without bail.

If convicted as charged, he faces life in prison without parole.  

Scuffling broke out between police and protesters at USC Wednesday morning.

The protesters, who are objecting to the ongoing war in Gaza and Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, were targeted by police who were “RAIDING ENCAMPMENTS” and “VIOLENTLY ARRESTING” them, according to activist account People City’s Council – Los Angeles.

Video shared to social media by Angie Orellana Hernandez showed at least one officer whipping out a baton after “officers put their hands on a @USC student.”

She later shared another video showing students surrounding a police vehicle so it could not leave the area with a student that the protesters believed was wrongly detained.

The escalation comes after a slow start to the protest.

While Sky5 showed only 15-20 protesters early Wednesday morning, by midday, dozens if not hundreds of people could be spotted in the area of Alumni Park. Large amounts of shoving and pushing could be spotted.

USC Public Safety Assistant Chief David Carlisle told KTLA earlier on Wednesday that students were free to protest, but they were not allowed to camp on campus property, so officers took down tents.

Footage from just before noon showed numerous tents still erected at the site, though protesters appeared to be carrying their tents and walking in a circle in an attempt to evade the officers’ attempts.

Four juveniles in a stolen vehicle were hospitalized after crashing in Boyle Heights during a pursuit Tuesday night.

Deputies with the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station spotted the stolen car and tried to pull the suspects over. They refused to yield and sped off, leading officers on a chase.

The teens traveled on the northbound 5 Freeway and when exiting at Calzona Street, they lost control at a sharp turn on the off-ramp and crashed into a wall.

The maneuver destroyed the suspects’ sedan, crushing the front end and trapping three teens inside the vehicle.

Emergency crews arrived at the scene and extricated the juveniles from the wreckage. All four suspects were transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The male suspects are believed to be around 12-14 years old, although authorities have yet to confirm their exact ages. The details and extent of their injuries are unclear.

Sky5 video captured a large police presence surrounding a neighborhood near the freeway off-ramp. A group of bystanders was seen gathering at the crash site as crews worked to clear the wreckage and debris.