2 More Violent Cellphone Robberies Reported On BART

OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Two more violent robberies of smartphone-carrying Bay Area Rapid Transit passengers were reported Sunday evening, both at Fruitvale Station.

BART Police said the first one happened at Fruitvale station around 5:30 p.m. A male victim reported three male juveniles pushed him and took his cellphone out of his hand, according to the police log.

When the victim stood up to confront them, he was kicked and fell to the ground, the report said. The three suspects ran away.

The second happened about two-and-a-half hours later aboard a Dublin-bound train at Fruitvale Station. Police said male victim reported his iPhone 7 snatched from his hand by another male passenger who ran off the train.

The victim chased and was then confronted by the thief who punched him in the face with a closed fist, police said.

No suspects were identified. BART Police said investigators were in the process of determining whether the actions were captured on security camera video.

Last month, BART warned riders about a spike in cellphone thefts amid a sharp increase in robberies aboard the system - up 45 percent over last year, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.