40 to 60 youths take over BART train, rob and beat patrons
By The Horse
@TheHorse (238349)
Walnut Creek, California
April 25, 2017 10:11am CST
I didn't her about this one until a friend forwarded it to me via email. BART is the main rapid transit train in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Apparently, 40 to 60 juveniles jumped the gates, stormed a BART train car, and attacked riders on the train, stealing cell phones, purses, and other items, and beating some of the riders.
It may have happened at the station near the Oakland Coliseum, where the Golden State Warriors (basketball) and Oakland As (baseball play).
I have ridden BART (occasionally) for years and have never seen anything like this! BART has its own police force, but apparently this happened so quickly that none of the tweens and teens were caught.
What would you do in such a situation? Given that the attackers were (apparently) unarmed, I would have been tempted to "go all wrestling moves" on one and detain him until the police arrived. But of course I might get sued if I did that.
Is your city or town safe from bands of violent teens?
16 people like this
17 responses
@LadyDuck (502729)
• Italy
25 Apr 17
Switzerland is safe, but I would not stay on a train that crosses the border to Italy. Last Sunday a group of young immigrants has attacked a train car, they have stolen everything they could and finally they have set fire to the seats before jumping down at the first stop.
6 people like this
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
25 Apr 17
I am not surprised. My son visited your beautiful country when he was a young teen and his grandparents took him. He was so surprised at how clean everything was, how friendly the people were, how low the crime rate was. He especially liked that the country was neutral but fully prepared to defend itself. I'd love to live their if I could. You have a wonderful place to live!
4 people like this
@LadyDuck (502729)
• Italy
25 Apr 17
@dragon54u Thank you for your kind words, I was born in Italy, but we moved to France first and we finally decided to come to Switzerland to retire, for all the reasons you listed.
4 people like this
@FourWalls (86829)
• United States
25 Apr 17
No. The past two years we've had two malls overrun with troublemakers on the day after Christmas.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (86829)
• United States
25 Apr 17
@TheHorse -- I'm in Louisville, KY. And, as far as I know, none of the kids were brought to justice. But then, we have a lot of blind people in this town when it comes to crime, if you know what I mean.... 
2 people like this
@TheHorse (238349)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Apr 17
@FourWalls I think I do.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (49775)
• India
26 Apr 17
When we were child, we dreamt of a better world, but on seeing such discussions, I feel not only we are unsafe in India, or other Asian countries but even in developed world.
So sad and bad!
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
25 Apr 17
how horrible, I"m sure I couldn't have defended myself from those teens. What a shame they all got away.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
25 Apr 17
@TheHorse Probably out having donuts or something
2 people like this
@TheHorse (238349)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Apr 17
@fishtiger58 Heh. Could be. I feel like their hands are tied anyway.
2 people like this
@diosabella (4789)
•
25 Apr 17
This is like a modern day local war. We have nothing like that, but there were teens who like to throw rocks on passing cars and cause accidents. Then in some city parts they have gang wars too and thrashing public areas.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (238349)
• Walnut Creek, California
26 Apr 17
@diosabella I'm glad nothing bad happened. I was driving through a neighborhood where I was a racial minority, and racism was rampant in that area. My car was not badly damaged. But I remember thinking it strange that I would be stoned for visiting my parents' graves. I almost wanted to invite the kids throwing stones at me to the grave site for a moment of quiet reflection. We are all the same inside. We are born. We search for meaning. We have good moments. And we die.
1 person likes this
@diosabella (4789)
•
26 Apr 17
@TheHorse There was a time that a rock was thrown on the bus I was riding. Good thing the window was made of hard plastic and not glass. The rock just bounce off, good thing.
2 people like this
@lady1993 (27221)
• Philippines
26 Apr 17
that is quite scary 
fortunately you weren't in it when it happened. They have cameras right, so at least some of them may be caught...
if i was in that situation, i would have panicked, the only weapon like thing in my bag is my folding umbrella, i guess i could beat them with it? 
lots of crimes happen in our country too, and they are done by teenager and some even younger 
fortunately you weren't in it when it happened. They have cameras right, so at least some of them may be caught...
if i was in that situation, i would have panicked, the only weapon like thing in my bag is my folding umbrella, i guess i could beat them with it?
lots of crimes happen in our country too, and they are done by teenager and some even younger 1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (98070)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Apr 17
I have no idea about here in Riga. So far nothing like that has happened but each time I see crowds of teenagers I have to wonder what might be coming because they seem to be looking weirder and acting stranger day by day. Lucky I don't have to travel anywhere everyday.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
26 Apr 17
I think that Eugene is, although many are afraid to go downtown after dark due to homeless and kids congregating on street corners. We are there fairly often and nothing untoward has taken place.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
26 Apr 17
@TheHorse Generally, that is so, but there seems to be plenty of crime.
2 people like this
@JESSY3236 (22244)
• United States
25 Apr 17
Wow. I hadn't heard of this. That's terrible. I do know we have gangs around here, but I don't know if they are violent.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (238349)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 Apr 17
@JESSY3236 Got it. I'd have to check to see if places like Charlotte are more or less safe (per capita) than larger urban areas like Chicago and the Bay Area.
@JESSY3236 (22244)
• United States
28 Apr 17
@TheHorse I live in North Carolina. I live west of Charlotte.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (67089)
• United States
25 Apr 17
Oh wow. How could there be do many and not one get caught ?
2 people like this
@teamfreak16 (43655)
• Denver, Colorado
25 Apr 17
I'm sure it'll catch on in other places. So, no. Cops in this area seem more concerned with harassing homeless people than actual crime.
2 people like this
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
25 Apr 17
(Hey, that picture's from a rest stop in Utah!)
I'm actually surprised that I didn't hear about this, and also really surprised that no one was caught. It sounds like a highly organized flash mob, but with criminal intent.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (238349)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Apr 17
@spiderdust Sounds like fun. I hyped on my mountain bike and cycled in at that rest area (I was heading East at the time). I'm pretty sure that the little arch photo I used in my Pancho and Lefty video (not to self-promote or anything) was taken there too.
1 person likes this
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
25 Apr 17
@TheHorse I took a picture of it myself this past summer when we were returning from our cross-country road trip with the kids. We did 10 states in 5 days, and then back again 2 days later. 
2 people like this
@Shwetasingh (1333)
•
25 Apr 17
Oh that's bed. These things are so frequent these days. But was it so fast that even the police force couldn't react?
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (49775)
• India
26 Apr 17
This is a very shameful incident. How much time it took for the police to arrive?
We do have cities within India where such things do occasionally happen.
Yet elsewhere, sometimes, such hooligans do caught fast.
Its another matter that many go scot free in courts either by bribing or because no witness dares to speak against them.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (49775)
• India
26 Apr 17
@TheHorse So has the police made any arrests?
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (49775)
• India
26 Apr 17
Seen this :
"confronting and robbing and in some cases beating riders.
“I’ve been there 24 years and this is the first time I’ve heard of anything like this happening,” said Keith Garcia, a BART police officer and union president.
"
BART police are beefing up patrols at Oakland stations after dozens of juveniles terrorized riders Saturday night when they invaded the Coliseum Station and commandeered at least one train car, forcing passengers to hand over bags and cell phones and leavi
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
29 Apr 17
I hope the riders of BART are now aware this could happen and rise up to beat down the teens should it happen again.
This sounds like a serious case of feral children running amuck. They've gone rabid, and there is only one way to stop the spread of such rabies.
1 person likes this
