A US District Court sentenced a former Pacific Harbor Line train driver to three years in prison earlier this week, local media report. In 2020, the man intentionally derailed a shunting locomotive to target a U.S. Navy hospital vessel.

The incident happened in the Port of Los Angeles in March 2020. The man, 46-year-old Eduardo Moreno, ran the locomotive off tracks at high speed in an effort to hit the U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy, which was docked at the port to provide medical relief in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his statement following the incident, Moreno claimed the vessel was “involved in a government takeover”. The train driver subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of committing a terrorist attack, as well as violence against railroads and transportation systems.

“[Moreno’s] offense was extraordinarily serious, and he used his unique access as a licensed train conductor to derail a multi-ton train toward a government hospital ship whose purpose was to treat vulnerable patients in the midst of a global pandemic,” prosecutors wrote.

In addition to his prison sentence, Moreno was also ordered to pay 755,880 dollars (693,053 euros) in restitution.

Further reading:

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