Train Engineer Attacked in West Sac
From today’s news:
The engineer of an Amtrak Capitol Corridor train was seriously injured Monday night in West Sacramento after a group of people forced the train to stop, dragged the engineer from the train and assaulted him with rocks and bottles, according to Capitol Corridor officials.
The attack occurred as the train from the Bay Area neared the I Street Bridge to Sacramento’s rail station and slowed for a signal, said Eugene Skoropowski, managing director of the Capitol Corridor. A group of people stood on the tracks to block the train, which stopped. When the engineer went downstairs and opened the door, he was dragged off the train and assaulted, Skoropowski said.
The engineer, who was taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, suffered head injuries and possible internal injuries, Skoropowski said. The engineer remains hospitalized.
Skoropowski is calling for more police patrols in the area, for all vegetation around the rails to be removed, for federal agencies to consider filing federal charges in the case, for Union Pacific Railroad to take steps to speed trains through the area, and for additional security measures, including night-vision cameras.
WTF?
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I saw this last night at sfgate.com and then read in the Sacramento Bee this morning that there have been incidents in Richmond as well. It wasn’t clear if they were trying to link them or simply that the train has become targeted in other cities as well.
I don’t ride the Capitol Corridor often, only a few times a year, but I’ve often seen groups around the tracks, mostly in the Bay Area between say Martinez and Richmond who gesture toward the cars from alongside the tracks. Based on how they were dressed and their ages and demeanor I thought they were probably part of the homeless population.
But what about the people who made the attack on the engineer in West Sacramento? There’s no indication about who these people are, no ages, nothing.
I had no idea that train engineers were targets for crime, much less that it was going on.
It’s disquieting to say the least.
What’s really weird about this story is the absolute black-out of anything that might give the riding public literally any information about who these “youths”, “young people” or “goups of persons” are or could be? Only one story included a note from the DA’s office to the effect that a “young male” arrested was in violation of a previous agreement of some sort relating to a gang called the Borderick Boys.
More than disquieting - this is disturbing - the public DOES have a right to know who these thugs are.
I used to ride the Capitol Corridor train quite frequently between school in SF and friends back here in Sac. I don’t recall ever seeing people around the tracks - certainly never saw people blocking the train’s passage!
I’m really surprised this isn’t a bigger story.
The Davis Enterprise has a story about this. We now know the name of the 17 year old arrested: Daniel Jacob Bonge. He’ll be tried as an adult. Felony charges include attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, mayhem, train robbery, vandalism and criminal street-gang activity.
And more here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/20/BAGG3PCES41.DTL