A judge ordered the man charged with setting a woman on fire on the CTA Blue Line to be held in custody while he awaits trial, after prosecutors argued he has been arrested 72 times since he turned 18.

Lawrence Reed, 50, was charged in a criminal complaint with committing a terrorist attack or other violence on a mass transportation system. 

Pretrial recommendation stated Redd should be detained while awaiting trial. Reed on Friday agreed, saying, "It's for my own safety to be detained." In court, the judge asked Reed if he wanted legal representation, and he refused. 

Reed is accused of filling a small bottle with gasoline at a Citgo station, then jumping on the Blue Line 20 minutes later, before dousing a woman in gasoline and setting her on fire without any provocation. In court Friday, it was revealed that the victim was on fire for a little over one minute.

At the time of the attack, Reed was on electronic monitoring after a Cook County judge declined to hold him in jail on an aggravated battery charge, accusing him of hitting a social worker at MacNeal Hospital Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in west suburban Berwyn. 

Cook County prosecutors had asked the judge to keep Reed in custody until his trial in that case, but instead the judge placed him on electronic monitoring – despite an extensive criminal history with multiple felony convictions in the last three decades.

Documents from the office running Reed's electronic monitoring showed he was required to be at that home at the time of the attack on the CTA train. 

In federal court, there are statutes detailing how a person can be detained, and Reed qualifies under those statutes. 

The 26-year-old woman's family did not identify her, saying only that they were focusing their attention on her recovery. 

The victim's family released a statement on Thursday, saying, "We would like to thank everyone for their prayers and well-wishes as our daughter receives care for injuries sustained earlier this week. We are also grateful for the excellent care and support of the burn team at Stroger Hospital."

The victim remains under care in the burn unit at Stroger Hospital. She is still in critical condition.