CLEVELAND — The man accused of shooting and killing a passenger on the RTA’s red line train is being held on a $1 million bond.
Donnie Allen is charged with aggravated murder in the death of 27-year-old Benjamin McComas of Avon Lake on Sunday.
Police said the train operator alerted them to a man smoking and causing a disturbance before they say Allen shot McComas and then went through his pockets.
On Wednesday morning, Allen appeared for his arraignment in Cleveland Municipal Court.
His public defender said Allen lives with his mother in Cleveland and was looking for a job.
The public defender said Allen demanded the judge be reasonable about bond.
The prosecutor asked for $2 million, citing Allen’s long criminal record. The judge gave a $1 million bond for Allen.
The same suspect is also accused of several other crimes connected to RTA stations.
Allen’s past convictions range from assault on a police officer at the W. 98th Rapid station in 2024 to attempted burglary.
The prosecutor said Allen also has a record in Pennsylvania.
News 5 Investigators looked into Allen’s background with the criminal justice system.
Just five days before the shooting, Allen was in jail in a burglary case.
On December 4, court records show Allen used a hammer and screwdriver to break into the W. 98th Rapid station break room to try to steal something.
The Bail Project, a nonprofit that helps people who can’t afford bail, posted Allen’s bond on December 9.
Back in May, a judge found Allen in violation of a two-year community control sentence. He was given a six-month prison sentence with three months jail credit and got out in August.
In September, Allen was arrested for disrupting public service.
Court records say a man was spotted pulling on car door handles at the Brookpark Rapid station. Transit police later found Allen at the Puritas station where he was arrested on the tracks while trying to get away.
On Monday, News 5 Investigators asked Transit Chief Deirdre Jones about safety on the Rapid.
“We have created strategies to create more visibility with our officers on the trains, on the buses, at the stations and all of our properties. So I would say riding RTA is one of the safest things you can do,” Jones said.
The Bail Project would not go on camera today with News 5 Investigators. Instead, the organization sent a statement on the allegations against Allen.
The Bail Project condemns violence and we are deeply concerned by the recent allegation involving Mr. Allen.
Our mission at The Bail Project is to ensure that people are not jailed pretrial solely because they cannot afford bail. Our organization exists to address inequities in a system where wealth often determines who remains incarcerated before trial. Only after a judicial decision approving release, with bail set by the court, does The Bail Project provide free bail assistance to satisfy that court-ordered condition.
Any loss of life is a tragedy, and we remain committed to building a fairer, more just pretrial system that respects due process, promotes safety, and avoids a misguided reliance on cash bail.”
Allen returns to court on Christmas Eve.
This is the second recent death at a Rapid station.
Jamir Peak, 17, was stabbed while his mom says he was breaking up a fight at the Superior red line station in East Cleveland:
