Police ID suspect filmed yelling slurs, slapping man on BART

UNION CITY, Calif. (BCN) - By Bay City News Service

A suspect has been identified in a viral video that showed him yelling racial slurs and slapping a man on a BART train Monday night, BART officials said today.

"At this point we can confirm that BART police have successfully identified the man [suspect]," BART spokesman Chris Filippi said. "BART will be moving forward in seeking a prohibition order to ban him from the system."

BART officials did not release the suspect's name.

Police responded to the incident at about 10:10 p.m. after at least three passengers on a Warm Springs-bound train called dispatchers to tell them about the disturbance.

In the video, the suspect can be seen standing as he yells at a man, who appears to be Asian. At one point, the suspect slaps the victim's face.

The video can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imx0z8v_7uQ.

Police boarded the train in Union City, but did not find the suspect, according to BART officials.

BART officials called the incident "deplorable" and "unfortunate" and lauded riders who called police and voiced support for the victim without physically intervening.

Each day about 420,000 people ride BART. In a push to increase police presence on the system, BART is hiring 40 new police officers, however, BART officials said police still rely on passenger to report crimes.

Passengers can report crimes on BART by calling 911 or (510) 464-7000 or by downloading the BART Watch app.