74-year-old woman dies after being pushed into moving train; Man charged with murder

Trevor Belmont, 49, has been arrested and charged with murder.

July 3, 2024, 7:12 PM

The 74-year-old woman who was pushed into an approaching train at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station has died and a man has been arrested and charged in connection with her death, according to BART police.

The woman hit her head on the train and fell onto the Powell Street Station platform at around 11 p.m. Monday night, according to BART police.

The victim was transported to San Francisco General Hospital and later died, police said.

BART police arrested 49-year-old Trevor Belmont, a man experiencing homelessness, who also goes by Hoak Taing, authorities said.

Belmont has been charged with one count of murder and will be arraigned on July 5, according to a statement from the San Francisco District Attorney's Office Wednesday.

The criminal complaint also alleges that Belmont personally inflicted great bodily injury on a vulnerable victim and that he intentionally killed the victim while lying in wait, according to the DA.

"The nature of this incident at Powell Street BART Station was tragic and truly shocking. I would like to express my deepest condolences to the victim's family, friends, and colleagues," District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in the statement.

"Unprovoked attacks, especially on our most vulnerable, are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. San Francisco residents, workers, and visitors should be able to freely move about and utilize our public transportation systems without fear. My office will now do everything in our power to ensure that there is justice in this case," Jenkins said.

BART police said this is the first murder on the train system this year.

People wait for a train at BART Powell Street station in San Francisco, Calif., Feb. 11, 2020.
Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Belmont was arrested shortly after the incident and will be booked into the San Francisco County Jail.

BART police have yet to identify a motive in the incident and the investigation remains ongoing.