Fatal BART Assault Suspect Surrenders To Police
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- A man suspected of delivering a fatal blow to the head of a passenger on a BART train earlier this month at the Bay Fair Station has surrendered to police, authorities announced Monday.
BART police said 24-year-old Jashawn Combs of Fremont turned himself in on Monday. His image and the assault had been captured on BART video and the photos distributed the media in an intense manhunt to locate him.
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On July 21st, BART officers found 47-year-old Don Stevens lying unconscious on the platform at the station a little after 1 a.m.
"They (BART police officers) were unaware if it was a medical aid situation or a crime," said BART Police Chief Carlos Rojas. "There were no witnesses."
Stevens was rushed to the hospital and died of his head injuries. Detectives reviewed video from a train and determined Stevens was the victim of a violent assault.
"We reviewed our train car video," Rojas said. "What we saw was an assault on Mr. Stevens and it appears to be he is in some kind of verbal altercation or argument with an individual on the train. Then a third individual who doesn't appear to be connected with the (altercation) walks up and punches Mr. Stevens with a closed fist on the side of the head...You see Mr. Stevens go down to the ground."
The homicide was one of three that occurred on the BART system between July 18-July 23rd.
Nia Wilson and her sister, Latifa, were allegedly stabbed by John Lee Cowell, a transient with a history of violence, as they got off of a BART train at the MacArthur Station on the night of July 22nd.
Nia died from her wounds at the scene and her sister was treated and released for her injuries at a local hospital. Cowell was captured the next day and was being held on first degree murder charges.
The third homicide stemmed from an altercation at the Pleasant Hill station on July 18th. The 51-year-old victim -- Pittsburg resident Gerald Bisbee -- got into a verbal altercation with another passenger. The altercation turned violent. Bisbee was assaulted and the suspect -- Abdul Bay -- was taken into custody after a lengthy police foot chase.
