Violence is never the answer. But when children are the victims, vicious actions become that much more reprehensible — especially when a child is an innocent bystander to someone else’s random outburst of rage. It's simply unacceptable. In late 2022, a homeless woman shoved a 3-year-old girl onto train tracks in Oregon, and now justice is being served.
The child, thankfully, survived the harrowing ordeal, which was captured on video. Fast-forward to now, and the woman has finally been sentenced for her crime.
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Brianna Lace Workman was found guilty except for insanity.
On January 31, Workman, 33, of Oregon, was found guilty except for insanity on five counts, according to a statement from the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office. They included assault, attempted assault, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct, and interfering with public transportation.
She was sentenced to 10 years at the state's psychiatric hospital, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
Video footage captured Workman pushing the 3-year-old girl.
Surveillance cameras caught Workman standing up from a bench at Portland’s Gateway Transit Center and pushing Zoe Rodriguez, 3, off a MAX platform on Dec. 28, 2022. The 3-year-old hit the ground before rolling off and falling onto the metal tracks face-first.
“The child landed face-first onto the metal rail and rocks before being quickly rescued,” Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt noted in a news release.
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Thankfully, the child was relatively unharmed.
She had been standing near her mother, Catalina, when Workman pushed her, seemingly unprovoked. Bystanders swiftly helped the 3-year-old up and off the tracks. Thankfully, Rodriguez survived; she walked away from the incident with only a red mark on her face and a headache.
A circuit judge took Workman's schizoaffective disorder into account.
Workman was reportedly unhoused and had been on and off, going back to 2011, Oregon Live reported. At first, she was declared mentally fit for trial in November.
Circuit Judge Nan Waller, however, later declared that Workman's schizoaffective disorder made it so she wasn't able to understand the crime, according to the New York Post.
Prosecutor Julian Samuels reflected on the sentencing.
“This is a case that’s really frightening, I think, for the community,” Samuels said, per the Post. “The resolution shows that people are being held accountable for their actions, but also getting the care that they need.”
