Passenger Trains > Rock Thrower Terminates Caltrain 381 (10)

A pedestrian threw a rock through the open cab car window of Caltrain #381 as it was departing the Redwood City station on the evening of 10 May, striking the engineer in the head.  The engineer subsequently big-holed the train at Brewster Avenue, and was taken by paramedics to hospital for medical treatment.  Train #381 was annulled on the spot, and the 450 passengers aboard were transferred to the following northbound train #279.

Police continue to search for the rock-throwing perpetrator, who was described by witnesses as a man in a gray sweatsuit.

chakk Wrote:
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> Police continue to search for the rock-throwing
> perpetrator, who was described by witnesses as a
> man in a gray sweatsuit.



Almost-useless perp description, not unusual for today's urban crime reporting.

How much you want to bet that this engineer will get some crap from their manager for having the window open?

The reporting was based on what the witnesses saw, blame them, not the media...

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

PHall Wrote:
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> How much you want to bet that this engineer will
> get some crap from their manager for having the
> window open?

How much you wanna bet that the Special Instructions are being revised to include something about when windows can and can't be open?

Hope the hogger is ok.

Posted from Android

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> The reporting was based on what the witnesses saw,
> blame them, not the media...


So this time is different? How do you know what the witness saw?

Very rarely do we get useful urban crime suspect descriptions, even when the perp could be well-described or was photographed. Why do you think that is?

Duna Wrote:
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> MojaveBill Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The reporting was based on what the witnesses
> saw,
> > blame them, not the media...
>
>
> So this time is different? How do you know what
> the witness saw?
>
> Very rarely do we get useful urban crime suspect
> descriptions, even when the perp could be
> well-described or was photographed. Why do you
> think that is?

Because eyewitness reports are notoriously lousy?

Posted from Android

MNNRfan Wrote:
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> Duna Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > MojaveBill Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > The reporting was based on what the witnesses
> > saw,
> > > blame them, not the media...
> >
> >
> > So this time is different? How do you know what
> > the witness saw?
> >
> > Very rarely do we get useful urban crime
> suspect
> > descriptions, even when the perp could be
> > well-described or was photographed. Why do you
> > think that is?
>
> Because eyewitness reports are notoriously lousy?
>
> Posted from Android



No, that's not why. You know why, everyone knows why...

Up to 30 years ago, most "be on the lookout for..." calls gave far better descriptions. Things like hair & eye color, r***, etc. Useful descriptors. Things that could help apprehend the criminals. But that offended some people, so we, as a society, look the other way.

I hope the engineer survives and they catch the jerk, but the rule about windows? OK!!!

Back in 1986  SP engineer Tommy the Rocket De La Rosa gave up his San Jose Permanante  local job to go to Amtrak as Coast Starlight engineer. His successor on the Perm was Jack Wyrick. On Jack’s second day out of Newhall yard someone shot at him thru the cab window— nicked his nose—-Jack always said whomever did it was really gunning for Tommy!😀
C

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/12/19 12:22 by CarolVoss.

Please tell me that was “shot”. Somehow, that seems more reassuring than the original. 

march_hare Wrote:
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> Please tell me that was “shot”. Somehow, that
> seems more reassuring than the original. 

OMG!!! Thanks. I corrected it!😀😀😀😀

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

The list of suspects could no doubt be narrowed some, maybe a lot, by focusing on those who really should not be released. Much of these incidents are the fault of the criminal justice system. The innocent get the worst part of the deal, totally opposite of the original intent.

FWIW, a “...man in a gray sweatsuit” + Redwood City = sounds like a recent graduate from county jail.

Grey sweatsuit? Half ther population has that, like 90% of the population has a black North Face coat. Doesn't narrow it down very much. 

what was the official police report's description of the suspect?  law enforcement will ask the appropriate suspect description questions.  that description is what the public should KNOW.......

66

Back in 2008, I went to a shady part of Redwood City, while chasing an AC4400 on Caltrain tracks, where I was surprised by freshly-installed fences protecting the ROW from rock throwers. This is not a new problem.

Someone having good enough aim to hit the engineer is definitely disturbing.

They've got forward-looking event-recording cameras, no?
Possibly a car parked nearby, or a bicycle, or some other telltale evidence of associates hanging around the area.
But does law enforcement really care about such things when they are having to guard schools and churches plus meet their quota of speeding tickets?

law enforcement having to deal with suicides there, is a deal

dan Wrote:
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> law enforcement having to deal with suicides
> there, is a deal


True...but I think your missing the point.....

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