‘That could have been us’: BART train attack unsettles riders

A day after a woman’s throat was sliced in an unprovoked attack on a BART train in San Francisco, riders were horrified at what they said was yet another violent incident that made them feel unsafe.

The slashing occurred around 8:10 a.m. Saturday on an Antioch-bound train as it approached the 24th Street Mission Station. The suspect, 34-year-old Jovany Portades, was arrested 30 hours later on Sunday afternoon. The victim, a 54-year-old woman, remained hospitalized in serious condition.

• Update: BART stabbing suspect arrested — has long history of criminal convictions. 

The attack came after an unprovoked attack in July in which police said a mentally ill and homeless man pushed a 74-year-old woman into an oncoming train at the Powell Street Station, killing her. 

“It’s really disconcerting,” Gracie Lee, 51, said of the latest attack as she walked out of the station in the Mission District near where the stabbing occurred a day earlier. Lee, who lives in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, arrived at the station from San Francisco International Airport after a flight from Japan. 

The station was relatively quiet — somewhat of a ghost town, as Lee described it — and she wondered whether riders were too scared to take BART so soon after the slashing. 

Despite the horrific nature of the attack, some riders were not surprised. 

“It’s scary, but it’s also not surprising,” Sarah Parneta, 47, said. “I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more.”

The Alameda resident said she’s not scared of getting robbed, but her “biggest fear” is getting attacked by a mentally ill passenger who’s in the throes of a crisis.

“This isn’t the kind of city where you’re going to get robbed, but it is the kind of city where a crazy person might attack you,” she said.

It’s happened to her twice out in the streets, she said. Once, a man dumped food on her. Another time, a woman hit her over the head with a purse. 

Parneta and other riders said they’ve seen more homeless and mentally ill passengers on BART ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. More BART lines than before are “dodgy” — even during the day, Parneta said.

“I feel like conditions on BART have been kind of degraded since the beginning of the pandemic,” Tracy Purrington, 65, said. 

Purrington, who lives near the station, said he is not concerned about his safety, but he worries about others, namely elderly and female riders. 

“It does feel scary being a single woman, taking BART alone,” Naishitha Anaparthy, 35, said, adding that she prefers to travel in a group. 

She and other riders outlined steps they take to try to stay safe. Parneta said she opts for the train car closest to the operator. Anaparthy said she tries not to get too distracted by her cellphone. “I’m looking up and looking around every two minutes,” Anaparthy said. 

Some riders called for a greater police presence on platforms and trains. Some noted BART recently installed fare gates at several stations, but they said more needs to be done to boost security. 

“There should be some type of screening method that would prevent people who are obviously not quite hinged from actually entering the trains and getting on there with other passengers,” Robin Horca, 44, said. “Before they get on the trains would be the right time to address the problem.”

The Pacifica resident was headed to a capoeira class near the station with her 11-year-old daughter. The pair were also around for a class on Saturday. 

“Who knows, that could have been us,” Horca said of the attack, looking over at her daughter with worried eyes. 

Asked about riders’ concerns, BART provided information about the arrest of the suspect in Saturday’s attack. Jovany Portades, 34, was arrested after a station agent at the Fruitvale Station spotted him and alerted police. A BART surveillance camera had helped police identify Portades as the suspect.

In June last year, BART’s Board of Directors approved a new labor agreement that called for an increase in the number of police officers assigned to patrol trains, from 52 to 78. The new contract, which also came with 20% raises for officers, was meant to address safety concerns as the agency tried to boost post-pandemic ridership.

Reach David Hernandez: david.hernandez@sfchronicle.com