Random Rail Runner attack leads to $700,000 settlement

Time seemed to stop as Felipe Sanchez fended off a knife-wielding stranger on a Rail Runner Express commuter train traveling to Santa Fe in March 2022.

On the floor of the #1008 train car, Sanchez punched, kicked and pushed back as he was stabbed a dozen times for no other reason than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“It seemed to have gone on forever,” the 60-year-old Sanchez told the Journal recently. “I was fighting for my life.”

The only relief came when an unarmed train security guard intervened. But the man stabbed her in the neck, among other areas.

The attacker then turned on a 70-year-old female passenger, stabbing her in the shoulder before the train eventually came to a halt at the Montaño station. Once the doors opened, the assailant jumped off and ran south on the train tracks.

Before his capture by Albuquerque police, the 32-year-old Luis Sanchez (no relation) threw off his backpack in which he carried a loaded Hi-Point handgun. His bloody pocketknife ended up on the sidewalk near the train station.

Though admitting no wrongdoing, the state and local government agencies that operate the Rail Runner paid Felipe Sanchez a $700,000 settlement in April. There is no public record of any settlements paid to the others injured.

Rail Runner officials say it was the first and only time a violent incident involving injuries occurred on the 19-year-old commuter train line that runs 100 miles from Belen to Santa Fe. Officials with Rio Metro Regional Transit District and contractor Precision Security, both named as defendants, say train travel is safe and that their employees are now extra vigilant as a result of the attack.

The assailant, Luis Sanchez, of Albuquerque, was sentenced to 13 years in prison as a habitual offender after pleading guilty in 2023 to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Felipe Sanchez’s attorney, who filed a civil lawsuit in 2024 alleging negligence, said he hopes the attack has provided a wake-up call of the necessity for better safety precautions.

“We can do a better job in providing safety to people on the train,” said David Chavez, a lawyer based in Belen. “It’s a showpiece for New Mexico.”

The lawsuit faulted train and security employees with failing to report “unauthorized entry” of Luis Sanchez on the rail car to the conductor that day, and failure to keep the rail car safe for its passengers.

“It could have been a lot worse catastrophe,” Chavez said. “(Felipe Sanchez) was very blessed that he didn’t die.”

He said the attacker “should have never been allowed on the train. He didn’t even have a ticket. He attempted to take over the train and try to do some significant damage. He was delusional. He was high.”

Rail Runner ticket takers typically ask passengers for their tickets after they have boarded. Tickets can be purchased on the train, or online prior to travel.

Augusta Meyers, spokeswoman for the Rail Runner, told the Journal that if people appear to be intoxicated or a safety threat, “they are not allowed to board trains.”

“We have customer services agents monitoring stations through cameras, as well as onboard security officers observing any kind of potential threats of suspicious behavior. If they notice anything, they will reach out to local law enforcement and notify them to be at the next station when the train approaches.” She said it isn’t possible for passengers to access the train engineer because the doors into the engineer’s cab are locked.

She said that “in light of the fact that there has been one stabbing in nearly 19 years of passenger service, the decision was made to continue to have them (security guards) unarmed. That said, we evaluate the question every year — so it could change in the future.”

Cameras at each Rail Runner station are being upgraded, and “we just recently signed a contract to implement onboard cameras in all of our train cars,” Meyers told the Journal. About 2,500 people ride the train a day.

According to Journal interviews, Albuquerque police and New Mexico State Police reports, Felipe Sanchez was headed to the farmer’s market in Santa Fe when he boarded the train in Belen March 19, 2022. He recalled noticing the man later identified as Luis Sanchez getting onto the train at the Downtown train station and “acting very strange.”

The man seemed agitated, opening the train car door, leaving the train car and returning several times. Felipe Sanchez was seated in the second car from the engine — the car closest to the engine was locked — and the attacker was trying to get through the locked door.

“He kept asking me for the keys (to the locked door),” and when Felipe Sanchez told him he didn’t have the keys, he said his attacker pulled out a knife. Felipe stood up and Luis Sanchez stabbed him three times in the stomach and abdomen.

“I thought, this is going terribly wrong.” He turned away from the assailant and could feel the man stabbing him in the back.

“I saw the security guard, but all she had was a walkie-talkie. She thought he was punching me. She went to grab him and he turned on her and threw her on the floor.”

Several passengers hid, while an older female passenger screamed and he stabbed her, Felipe Sanchez recalled. The older Sanchez then “bear hugged” the attacker to try to stop him.

“It seemed like the train was going awfully slow or maybe that’s how I perceived it,” he said. “I realized this had gone way too far. So I grabbed the knife in his hand and he held tight.”

The security guard, Yvonne Zertuche, was able to call for help, and the train stopped at the Montaño Station, where Luis Sanchez calmly jumped off and walked south down the tracks. He was later arrested by Albuquerque police.

Felipe Sanchez and Zertuche were rushed to the hospital where they underwent surgery. Both recovered but Zertuche subsequently retired. She couldn’t be reached for comment for this story.

Under the operating contract, Precision Security was required to have a security guard posted on the train with at least level two guard certification. Zertuche had a level one certification, entry level training.

Precision co-owner William Albrecht told the Journal that Zertuche received training as a level two officer but “it just wasn’t approved yet.”

He said Precision had obtained written permission to permit her to work on the Rail Runner.

“The security guard on the train did absolutely nothing wrong. But we’re not police officers by any means,” Albrecht said. “We are really watching with a keen eye. We have top-notch security guards trained in transit, and knife training. All wear lapel cameras. We do carry a breathalyzer. But this could have happened anywhere.”

The attack hasn’t stopped Felipe Sanchez from getting back on the Rail Runner.

“I’ve taken the train twice since,” he said. “But I’m hyper-aware. It’s not as much fun.”