Suspect in Friday night BART stabbing charged with attempted murder
Solomon Espinoza, 27, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder. He's accused of seriously injuring two BART passengers with a box cutter.
OAKLAND, Calif. (BCN) - A man accused of seriously injuring two BART passengers with a box cutter Friday evening on a Richmond-bound train has been charged with two counts each of attempted murder, aggravated mayhem and assault with a deadly weapon, according to Alameda County prosecutors.
Around 7:50 p.m. Friday, two men approached BART police and reported that they'd been attacked on the train in a fight that continued onto the platform at the MacArthur station in Oakland.
According to BART police, 27-year-old Solomon Espinoza was with a female suspect identified as Crystal McLeod - and the two had a baby stroller - when Espinoza began slashing the two victims without provocation.
One victim suffered a severe cut across his face as well as defensive cuts to his hands. The other had a severe cut underneath his left arm. Both men needed stitches to close their wounds, prosecutors said.
Police initially apprehended McLeod, then identified Espinoza as a suspect after a series of interviews. McLeod has also been charged with assaulting one of the victims with caustic chemicals.
Espinoza was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday. He has since confessed to committing the offenses, according to prosecutors.
He returns to court Aug. 16 to enter a plea.