METRO Suspect Remains Uncooperative in Court, Court Officials Say
A suspect connected to a deadly shooting on a METRO bus appeared before a judge Friday morning, but one of the suspects was noticeably absent due to alleged uncooperation with court officials. Patrick Scott, 18, has been charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon as a result of Wednesday's incident in the 10800 block of Richmond Avenue.
According to records, new details have emerged that the principal of Elsik High School recognized Scott from a media release as one of her students who attended Elsik High School. Meanwhile, Brayden Smith, also linked to the shooting, was scheduled to appear before a judge but failed to show up due to being uncooperative, according to court officials.
Prosecutors stated that Scott was already out on bond for an unrelated aggravated robbery case, and one of the conditions of that bond was not allowing him to carry a weapon. In a statement released by METRO, the transit agency expressed its support for the victim's family and acknowledged events like this can be frightening for riders.
METRO has taken steps to increase visibility and patrols in the affected area and encourages riders to report anything suspicious to the authorities or through METRO's customer service channels. The agency has also invested in safety measures such as expanded patrols, new satellite police substations, a Safety Partnership with law enforcement agencies, onboard cameras, real-time monitoring, and improvements to lighting, station design, and shelter.
However, it remains unclear whether the suspect's alleged uncooperation is related to any conditions of his bond or another factor.
A suspect connected to a deadly shooting on a METRO bus appeared before a judge Friday morning, but one of the suspects was noticeably absent due to alleged uncooperation with court officials. Patrick Scott, 18, has been charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon as a result of Wednesday's incident in the 10800 block of Richmond Avenue.
According to records, new details have emerged that the principal of Elsik High School recognized Scott from a media release as one of her students who attended Elsik High School. Meanwhile, Brayden Smith, also linked to the shooting, was scheduled to appear before a judge but failed to show up due to being uncooperative, according to court officials.
Prosecutors stated that Scott was already out on bond for an unrelated aggravated robbery case, and one of the conditions of that bond was not allowing him to carry a weapon. In a statement released by METRO, the transit agency expressed its support for the victim's family and acknowledged events like this can be frightening for riders.
METRO has taken steps to increase visibility and patrols in the affected area and encourages riders to report anything suspicious to the authorities or through METRO's customer service channels. The agency has also invested in safety measures such as expanded patrols, new satellite police substations, a Safety Partnership with law enforcement agencies, onboard cameras, real-time monitoring, and improvements to lighting, station design, and shelter.
However, it remains unclear whether the suspect's alleged uncooperation is related to any conditions of his bond or another factor.
this is a total shocker that the suspect just disappeared like that, what's going on with our justice system? I mean, isn't he supposed to be in custody right now? 
and yeah, it's crazy that the principal of Elsik High School recognized him as one of her students... you would think that'd be a way to get him to cooperate. but honestly, I'm just so frustrated with the whole situation... how can we trust our system if someone like that can just bail out on his own? 
. People are quick to blame him for whatever happened on that bus, but have they considered why he might've been acting out in court? I mean, we don't know all the details about his situation and what's going through his head right now 
Maybe there's more to this story than we're seeing, and we should be giving Patrick a chance to defend himself without jumping to conclusions 
.
i feel so bad for the victims fam but like what can we do? they're already taking steps to boost safety on the metro 
like, increased patrols and cameras and all that. and now we got a suspect who's being super uncooperative... like, how are they gonna work with the court system if they're not even showing up? 
my friend's cousin was in that school and it's still weird to think about 
. I mean, I get it if he's genuinely scared or whatever, but you've got to respect the system and follow the rules. It's just one more reason why we need to keep our communities safe, not have people running around causing harm 
. And poor Patrick Scott, I feel bad for him, been through enough already with that other charge... hope he gets a fair shot at clearing his name 
.
? The fact that one of the suspects is being super uncooperative 
, but we need to make sure our justice system is working effectively 
. It's time to get to the bottom of this 
and figure out what's really going on 
and the suspects who are willing to cooperate 
. It's a tough situation, but we can do better 
. Let's keep an eye on it and hope for a positive outcome 
... I can only imagine how terrifying it must be for them to have someone they know involved in a shooting on public transportation... 18 is way too young to be dealing with this kinda stress and uncertainty 
... hope he gets the help he needs, but also hope he takes responsibility for his actions 
... this incident just highlights how vulnerable we are when we're just trying to get from point A to point B 
! Can't even get a suspect to cooperate in court, and now they're expecting us to feel safe on their buses? Like, come on! They're just paying lip service by investing more money into "safety measures"... we all know that's just a way to placate the public. And don't even get me started on the fact that one of these suspects is out on bond for an unrelated crime and they didn't bother checking if he was violating his conditions 
... meanwhile, victims' family still waiting for answers 
. Need to see more from law enforcement 