SEATTLE — Elisio Melendez, 27, has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly pushing a commuter toward the tracks at the Northgate light rail station on March 19. Surveillance footage reportedly shows the suspect carefully timed the assault to happen right as a train entered the station.
The information comes from charging documents provided by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office last week. According to the documents, the victim was able to catch his balance during the initial shove and avoided falling onto the tracks. The incident occurred at one of the busiest light rail stations in the system.
Prosecutors allege that Melendez quietly moved behind the victim before shoving him. According to court documents, surveillance footage suggests the defendant waited for the train to enter the station to inflict maximum harm. The victim managed to stay on the platform, but investigators said Melendez tried to push him a second time toward the tracks and the oncoming train.
The King County Sheriff’s Office released new images from the incident on March 29, which allegedly show the moment the victim was pushed.
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The sheriff’s office says the suspect ran from the Northgate station following the encounter. Investigators used surveillance cameras from the surrounding area to track his movements, eventually locating Melendez at the mental health facility where he resided. He was then arrested and booked into the King County Jail.
Durwin Long, a regular commuter, was alarmed by the incident and said, “I will say, several months ago, there was a shooting at this station too,” Long said. “So I know after that, Sound Transit beefed up some security. I think that’s a good step.”
Casey Leichter, another commuter at the station, described the event as an unfortunate reality of high-traffic areas.
“You have a lot of people here, and in any random population you’re going to have a certain percentage of people who are crazy or mean, and they’re going to do stupid crap like that,” Leichter said.
Back in 2019, Melendez allegedly stabbed his sister in the stomach with a knife and was charged with second-degree assault, but was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial.
Melendez remained at Western State until January 2022, according to prosecutors, when the state determined he had improved enough to be released to a less restrictive alternative. Prosecutors explained that, since there was no legal way for prosecutors to proceed with a criminal case, Melendez was ultimately released.
Melendez remains in the King County Jail on $750,000 bail. He’s scheduled to be arraigned in King County Superior Court on March 31.
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