Crime & Safety

BART Handgun Scare Was Off-Duty Officer

Trains delayed Tuesday morning with report of man with a gun in his waistband.

Bay City News Service

Three BART trains were delayed Tuesday morning after a handgun sighting on a platform at the Pleasant Hill BART station caused a stir among morning commuters, police said.

BART police responded around 8 a.m. to a train operator's report of a man with a gun in his waistband at the station. Officers arrived on the platform with their guns drawn, giving some morning commuters a scare and causing three trains to be held as police investigated. After speaking with the man with the concealed gun, police learned that he was an off-duty police officer, BART police Lt. Aaron Ledford said.

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"Once we determined that he was off-duty law enforcement, we released the trains," he said. The incident caused delays of up to 20 minutes, he said. Although it turned out there was no hazard to the public, Ledford credited the train operator who reported the weapon for his quick reaction in a potentially dangerous situation.


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