Man wanted in fatal attack at Bay Fair Station arrested
The suspect wanted for punching and causing fatal injuries to 47-year-old Don Stevens on the platform of the Bay Fair Station has been taken into custody today (7/30/2018). The suspect, 24-year-old Jashawn Combs of Fremont, turned himself in to police Monday. The arrest means suspects have now been apprehended in connection with all three homicides that occurred in the BART system in the last week and a half.
The attack against Stevens occurred at 1:20 am Saturday morning on July 21st, 2018. BPD officers responded to a report of a man who was injured on the platform of the Bay Fair Station. Officers performed CPR on Stevens until fire and paramedics arrived. Stevens was taken to a hospital with a pulse, but he was later declared brain dead.
Detectives initiated an investigation which included a review of station and train video, which revealed that there had been a physical attack in which the suspect hit Stevens with a closed fist to the side of the head. After being struck, Stevens then hit the cement ground when he fell on the platform.
Separate from this case, BART police on July 23rd arrested 27-year-old John Lee Cowell in connection with the murder of 18-year-old Nia Wilson at the MacArthur Station. Cowell was arrested within 24 hours of the murder of Wilson, which occurred Sunday July 22nd at approximately 9:36 pm. In the third homicide, BART police had already arrested 20-year-old Abdul Bey after he was involved in a physical confrontation with 51-year-old Gerald Bisbee at the Pleasant Hill Station on Wednesday, July 18th. Bisbee suffered a small cut to the back of his knee in the altercation and later died from an infection to that cut while Bey was still in custody.
Meanwhile, the Alameda County Coroner has determined the woman who was found dead at the Dublin-Pleasanton Station early Saturday morning did not die as a result of foul play. Instead, the coroner suspects 26-year-old Jessica St. Louis of Berkeley likely died from a drug overdose.
BART Police would like to thank our law enforcement partners as well as members of the public who provided valuable information to help each of these investigations.
This was published on 7/24/18 as BART Police asking for help identifying suspect who fatally punched another man.
At 1:20 am Saturday morning (July 21, 2018), BPD officers responded to a report of a man who was injured on the platform of the Bay Fair Station. Responding officers spoke with potential witnesses but nobody could confirm that a physical altercation took place. Officers performed CPR on the victim until fire and paramedics arrived. The victim was taken to a hospital with a pulse, but he was later declared brain dead. The victim has been identified as 47-year-old Don Stevens, a transient. Detectives initiated an investigation which included a review of station and train video, which revealed that there had been a physical attack in which an unidentified suspect hit the victim with a closed fist to the side of the head. After being struck, the victim then hit the cement ground when he fell on the platform. The suspect is an African American man who stands 5’8” to 5’10”, medium build with a dark complexion. He has shoulder length dreadlocks in a ponytail with a scruffy beard. The suspect was wearing a white t-shirt and a green jacket.
Anyone with information should immediately contact the BART Police Department at 510-464-7011.
