ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis County prosecutors on Wednesday charged a man who police said assaulted a woman aboard a MetroLink train late last year.
Darris Hodge, 43, was arrested Tuesday night and charged with a felony count of third-degree assault.
"It's not like you're having an argument with an individual. It's just a random attack," St. Louis County police Sgt. Tracy Panus said.
According to police, just after 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, Hodge and a woman were riding on a MetroLink train when it stopped at the Hanley station and Hodge stood up.
Hodge then used an open hand to hit the woman on her face and forehead, causing her head to hit the train window, a probable cause statement said.
Hodge then stood over the woman and made incoherent comments, police said. When the train stopped again, he told her to get off it. She left the train car and called police.
The woman was taken to a St. Louis area hospital for treatment. She was unable to work for several days because of a concussion.
Hodge was last seen getting off a MetroLink train at the Central West End station. He was arrested after police publicized a surveillance photo earlier this week.
In a police interview, Hodge admitted he was the woman's attacker.
Hodge and the victim did not know each other, police said, describing Hodge's behavior as "erratic and random."
"Sometimes there's a delay with getting video footage, we're making our own attempts and trying to identify an individual before we put it out there," Panus said on Tuesday, before Hodge has been identified as the suspect.
Paul Wallace, who has been riding the transit service for the last four years, said he is worried about his safety after the recent assault.
"The safety for MetroLink for me is kind of 'iffy,'" Wallace said. Nobody stopped it or even just cared to help," Wallace said.
Kevin Scott, general manager of security for Bi-State Development and Metro Transit, responded in a statement and said, "We take any incidents on MetroLink seriously and are cooperating fully with our contract partners from the St. Louis County Police Department."
According to Bi-State Development and Metro Transit, 93 assaults happened on public transit in 2023.
County police urged riders to be aware.
Panus said that so far this year, there have already been seven assaults on the train or station platform.
"Traveling in pairs and being with other people that you know helps to reduce your chances of becoming a victim in a random attack like this," Panus said.
Hodge was being held on $50,000 bond and ordered to stay 100 feet away from any MetroLink trains or MetroBuses.