One suspect in custody in April 22 Coliseum Station robbery; more warrants issued

BART Police have taken one suspect into custody and arrest warrants have been issued for other suspects in the April 22 robbery of seven passengers at Coliseum Station. The person is a minor and lives in the Bay Area; no further information about the suspect is being released at this time. 

Police identified multiple suspects from high-quality surveillance footage on the train where the robbery occurred. Acting BART Police Chief Jeff Jennings updated the Board of Directors on the case at a Thursday night meeting (see the video above).

Shortly after 9:30 pm on April 22, two 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 minutes between the 911 call and police arriving.

In response, we have extended our sympathy and understanding to the employees and passengers who were affected by this event. Our investigation is continuing. We have created additional overtime shifts for officers who will be visibly patrolling stations. We are also cooperating and sharing information with numerous law enforcement agencies and school districts, where we have had previous success in arresting juveniles who commit crimes on BART. We are not releasing the surveillance video 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 violence in the strongest of terms. We appreciate the trust our passengers have put in BART, and are working diligently to reduce the likelihood of this type of crime occurring again. We urge passengers to keep their electronic devices and other belongings close at hand and to be aware of their surroundings to help us prevent crime.

You can watch the archived webcast of the entire Board meeting here. 

(Updates story originally posted on April 24, 2017)