Woman killed after being stabbed at Metro station in Universal City

A man was arrested after he allegedly stabbed a woman to death at the Universal City/Studio City Metro B Line Station early Monday.

45-year-old Elliot Tramel Nowden was taken to jail and he is being held on a $2 million bail following his arrest on suspicion of murder. He is accused in the stabbing that occurred on the subway train. 

Police said the woman had boarded the downtown-bound train at the nearby North Hollywood station and was stabbed in an apparently unprovoked attack. 

On Tuesday, she was identified as 67-year-old Mirna Soza Arauz by LAPD investigators. 

The stabbing happened in the 3900 block of Lankershim Boulevard around 5 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

LA Metro said the passenger was stabbed as she was exiting the train onto the platform area. The woman was taken to the hospital where she later died from her injuries, according to LAPD.

After the attack, the suspect ran away after getting off at the same stop as the woman. Witnesses at the scene provided police with a description that ultimately led to his arrest. 

Nowden was arrested about 30 minutes later near Ventura Boulevard and Vineland Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. 

Police believe the incident was unprovoked and they are working to determine a motive. 

The B Line train temporarily skipped the Universal/Studio stop due to police activity, and bus bridges were arranged to accommodate rail passengers, according to Metro officials.

Police said they "strongly believe" Nowden may have victimized other people, and they urged anyone who believe they were targeted by him to come forward. 

Anyone who believes they were victimized or has information about the stabbing was urged to call 877-LAPD-247 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.

The attack was the latest act of violence to plague the Metro transit system. Last week, a Metro bus driver got into an altercation with a suspect who kicked in the glass door of the bus. 

The previous weekend, a male passenger was stabbed during an argument on a Metro bus in the Silver Lake area, and a suspect was taken into custody. Later that same day, a Metro bus driver was attacked near South Los Angeles area, with the suspect punching and stabbing the driver, sheriff's officials said.