A 26-year-old man has been charged with attempted second-degree murder after prosecutors say he tried to shove a stranger onto the tracks in front of an oncoming light rail train at the Northgate station in North Seattle.
Elisio Melendez is accused of attacking an unidentified man on 19 March at the Northgate light rail station, according to charging documents filed in King County Superior Court. Prosecutors allege Melendez approached the victim from behind as a train was entering the station and attempted to push him onto the tracks. The victim was pushed twice but managed to regain his balance and avoid falling.
Surveillance footage cited in the charging documents shows the suspect appeared to time the attack to coincide with the train’s arrival, “making it clear that his goal was to inflict maximum harm,” prosecutors wrote. Melendez fled the station after the incident. Investigators identified him through video footage and located him at a nearby residential treatment facility, where he was arrested on 24 March without incident.
During a subsequent interview with detectives, Melendez denied any involvement in the attack, suggesting that someone else may have been wearing his clothes at the time, according to the probable cause statement.
Prosecutors have requested bail be set at $750,000, citing concerns that Melendez poses a danger to the public and may not appear for future court hearings. Court records show Melendez previously faced a 2019 domestic violence assault charge involving a stabbing, though that case was dismissed after he was found not competent to stand trial. He also has an outstanding warrant in a separate misdemeanor assault case.
If convicted on the attempted murder charge, Melendez faces significant prison time.
