Man Waved at Train Before Being Struck

Moments before being struck and killed by a Metro Blue Line train, a Los Angeles man straddled the tracks and waved his hands in what appeared to be a bizarre attempt to stop the train, authorities said Thursday.

Jose Reyes, 34, died within minutes of being struck by a southbound train near the South-Central Los Angeles intersection of Vernon and Long Beach avenues late Wednesday.

Witnesses told police that Reyes was acting strangely before the accident. He asked someone at the Vernon station what time the train was expected, and then walked over the tracks twice while waiting, Sgt. Larry Swanson said.

When the train approached, Reyes straddled the track about 100 feet from the station platform and waved his hands in an apparent effort to stop the train.