Los Angeles Metro has declined to release surveillance footage of the 2024 killing of 67-year-old Mirna Arauz Soza aboard a train, and City Journal’s publisher has filed a lawsuit to force the footage’s release, according to Headline USA and City Journal contributing editor Christopher Rufo.
What happened in 2024
Headline USA reported that a jury convicted Elliot Tramel Nowden, 47, of murder for stabbing and robbing Soza as she rode the Metro at about 5 a.m. after an overnight shift. The outlet said Nowden is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after prior encounters with police.
Metro’s rationale vs. transparency push
Headline USA reported that LA Metro has declined to release the video, citing family privacy, and later said releasing it was not in the “public interest.” The outlet also reported that Soza’s three surviving children petitioned for the video’s release.
The lawsuit and what it seeks
Rufo said the Manhattan Institute, City Journal’s publisher, filed suit to compel disclosure of the footage, arguing it could provide a fuller picture of Soza’s final moments. Citing family accounts, Headline USA reported that Soza suffered a fatal stab wound to the neck, tried to stop the bleeding with her hands, collapsed near the platform, and bled to death roughly an hour later near a set of stairs.
On Oct. 7, 2026, Rufo posted on X: “We’re suing the LA Metro. In 2024, a savage criminal brutally stabbed a grandmother to death on the train. Metro has attempted to hide the footage. We won’t let it stand.”
Conditions on the system, per City Journal
Rufo argued that Metro is trying to avoid scrutiny over conditions on the transit system. In his City Journal piece, he wrote: “Between 2020 and 2025, crime in the system more than doubled. About half of all riders reportedly don’t pay, and more than 90 percent of violent criminals on Metro (including Nowden, according to Mirna’s family) evade fares. Metro could catch criminals like Mirna’s murderer at the gates, if only it tried.”
Who oversees Metro
According to City Journal, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass serves as chair of the Metro Board and oversees the transit agency.
What’s next
Headline USA said it had reached out to City Journal for more information about the lawsuit. As of the source report, it was not clear when a court might rule on disclosure.
