Vandals Trash San Francisco's Glen Park BART Station During Strike
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – Authorities are searching for several people suspected of vandalizing vacant BART stations while workers went on strike. The Glen Park station in San Francisco suffered the worst damage by taggers during the walkout.
"I can't believe how busy they were," BART rider Kurt Hurtado told KPIX 5.
When service resumed on Tuesday, commuters saw graffiti on every wall, column and along the train tracks.
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Taggers even vandalized the area above the third rail, which carries power to the trains and can be deadly if touched. BART officials said the third rail power was left on all weekend, when the taggers likely entered the station through the tracks and did their damage.
"This station was always very well put together," Hurtado said. "Today, it looks like New York."
Much of the graffiti was in high and hard to reach areas, leading officials to believe the taggers might have brought their own stepladders.
Given the volume of vandalism, officials said it could have taken more than a day to accomplish.
The Glen Park station has surveillance cameras, but they are set up to be monitored by personnel who were out on strike at the time.
BART police said Glen Park is among nine vandalism cases during the strike that they are investigating. Several other stations in San Francisco were also vandalized, along with stations in Oakland, Concord, and San Leandro.
Vandals Trash San Francisco's Glen Park BART Station During Strike
Two suspects have been arrested so far related to vandalism at an East Bay station. Police said the Glen Park taggers could face felony charges, considering the amount of damage to the station.
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