Eduardo Moreno, a former train engineer for the Port of Los Angeles, will serve 3 years in prison for intentionally derailing a train into a U.S. Navy hospital ship. The ship, Mercy, was based out of Naval Base San Diego. It was docked at the Port of Los Angeles to accept non-COVID patients and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Moreno will also be forced to pay more than $755,000 in restitution for his role in the March 2020 incident.
As part of his plea deal, Mr. Moreno acknowledged that on March 31, 2020, he intentionally drove a train at full speed off the end of the tracks near where Mercy was docked because he believed it might be involved in a sinister conspiracy.
There were no injuries resulting from the derailment but fuel was spilled. A hazardous materials cleanup was required. The derailment caused almost $756,000 in damages.
Train engineer gets 3 years for intentional derailment in LA
