Group of teens storm BART train and rob passengers, transit agency says
OAKLAND (KTVU) -- A mob of 40-60 young people streamed onto a BART train in Oakland Saturday night, robbing multiple riders of bags and cell phones and injuring at least two people, according to BART officials.
Witnesses reported that the suspects jumped the fare gates at the Coliseum station around 9:30 p.m., then boarded a Dublin train and committed at least seven robberies, the agency's police log said.
Two people suffered facial and head injuries and were treated by paramedics, according to the log.
The suspects took one purse, one duffel bag and five cell phones, with six of the robberies taking place on the train car and one on the platform, the log said.
The suspects were reportedly unarmed, according to BART officials.
Before BART officers could get to the station, the suspects fled, the report said. The Dublin train was held for about 15 minutes as a result of the incident.
BART police are pulling surveillance video they plan to share with Oakland police, Oakland Unified School District officials and the Oakland Housing Authority in hopes of identifying the suspects.
>>>>>LISTEN: 911 call about teen mob on BART
The images, however, can't be shared with the public because the suspects are minors, BART officials said.
BART released the following statement on their Facebook page Monday afternoon:
Before all else, our hearts go out to the passengers who were victims of Saturday’s robbery, and extend our deepest sympathy and understanding to the employees and patrons who were shaken by these events.
Shortly after 9:30 pm on Saturday evening, two of our station agents at Coliseum station immediately notified police upon the arrival of a large group of juveniles, who apparently came from another event in the area, jumped the fare gates, and robbed seven passengers on one of our trains and platforms. No weapons were reported.
The rapid nature of these crimes maximized the efficiency of the robberies, and allowed them to take place within the few short minutes between the 911 call and police arriving.
In response, we are working with allied agencies to bring the juveniles to justice. We have created additional overtime shifts for officers who will be visibly patrolling stations, and video is being pulled from both the train cars and station cameras. Our investigators will be distributing the footage among local law enforcement agencies as well as school districts, where we have had previous success in arresting juveniles who commit crimes on BART. We are not releasing the footage to the public at this time due to the age of the suspects involved.
Overall, crime has been on the decline, and we want to stress that this robbery is neither reflective of the safety of our system nor of public transportation generally. We strive to provide a safe place for our passengers, and condemn this unprecedented, unacceptable, violent behavior in the strongest of terms. We appreciate the trust our passengers have long put in BART, and are working diligently to reduce the likelihood of this type of crime occurring again.