News

Actions

Suspect named in Niles Amtrak train stabbing

Posted at 12:22 PM, Dec 06, 2014
and last updated 2014-12-06 14:59:38-05

Niles, Mich. – Four people were stabbed on an Amtrak train Friday evening, police now say a suspect is in custody.

Police have confirmed that 44 year-old Michael Darnell Williams of Saginaw, Mich. has been arrested and is currently being held at Berrien County Sheriff’s Department on charges of assault with intent to murder.

Police initially received a call at approximately 7:00PM Friday evening from Amtrak in Chicago, indicating that a passenger on a train headed to Niles from Chicago was “acting odd and becoming agitated”.

When police arrived on scene at the Amtrak depot in Niles they were met with a noticable commotion happening in one of the parked train cars, with passengers trying to exit.  When police were able to push through the chaotic crowd, they were met by a man armed with a knife.  He was subdued with a taser and taken into custody without further incident.

Police quickly located four victims- one female and three males- all with cuts or stabs.  While some original reports suggested that a victim was in serious condition- they are all currently being treated at local hospitals and in stable condition.

The Niles Police Department is continuing their investigation into this incident.

The following is Amtrak’s official response to Friday’s incident:

“Amtrak is aware of an incident that took place today on Train 364. At the time of the incident, the train was at the Niles (Michigan) train station. The Niles City Police Department has a person in custody and the investigation into the incident is ongoing. The Amtrak Police Department is assisting in the investigation.
Train 364 is the Blue Water service that travels daily between Chicago and Port Huron. The train was heading to Port Huron at time of incident. Amtrak is working to arrange alternate transportation for 172 passengers.”