LOS ANGELES — The man who intentionally ran his train off the end of tracks in San Pedro, Calif., last year, claiming he was trying to draw attention to what he believed was a conspiracy involving a U.S. Navy hospital ship, has pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge resulting from the incident.
Eduardo Moreno, 45, of San Pedro, pleaded guilty to one count of committing a terrorist attack and other violence against railroad carriers and mass transportation systems, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release. Moreno faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison; sentencing is set for March 11, 2022.
The bizarre incident occurred on March 31, 2020, when Moreno ran the Pacific Harbor Line locomotive off the track at high speed [see “Engineer arrested after intentionally crashing locomotive …,” Trains News Wire, April 1, 2020]. Courthouse News Service reports the train crashed through a concrete barrier, a steel wall, a chain link fence, a vacant lot, and another chain-link fence before stopping, causing some $700,000 damage.
In an interview after the derailment, Moreno told the Los Angeles Port Police he was suspicious of the presence of the hospital ship Mercy, then docked at the Port of Los Angeles, saying he believed it had an alternate purpose related to COVID-19 or a government takeover. Moreno said he know it would bring media attention and “people could see for themselves” about the Mercy, according to an affidavit. He subsequently told FBI agents he wanted to “ ‘wake people up’ … Moreno stated he thought the Mercy was suspicious and did not believe ‘the ship is what they say it’s for.’ “
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