The story of a bizarre attempted robbery on BART that some thought was too strange to be true...was actually true, it appears, after the transit agency released surveillance video of the woman they say is responsible for the crime.
As previously reported, 32-year-old Oakland resident and BART passenger Julie Dragland says that she had to fake a seizure after a mysterious person handed her a note demanding her property as she rode a train through San Francisco.
“There are 2 guns pointed at you now," the note read. "If you want to live hand back your wallet + phone NOW + do not turn around and be descreet. Do not turn around until after you have left civic center + you will live.”
Dragland pretended she was having a seizure to avoid complying with the demand, and said she believed that the person who had handed her the note hopped off the train as passengers gathered around her to offer medical assistance.
“So I if I fake a seizure or fake like I’m passing out, I’m not even not complying,” Dragland told CBS 5. “I’m scared and reacting so, I started slumped over to the left and started shaking and people started to notice and they’re like, ‘Are you okay? Are you okay?'”
“I was terrified and then I started to be like, is somebody really going to shoot someone for a phone and a wallet?"
When Dragland reported the threatening note, BART police searched area stations for the suspect, but found no one matching the description. After reviewing surveillance footage from the train, BART says that the photos above and below depict the suspect in the attempted robbery.
According to BART, the video from the Dublin-bound train confirms Dragland's account of the incident.
"Video from the train shows the suspect was seated behind the victim who was sitting alone," BART writes in a press release. "The suspect, who was also alone, is seen reaching over the victim's shoulder which is when the suspect may have dropped the note."
According to BART, the video shows the suspect getting up to flee the train as Dragland feigned her medical issue, disappearing into the crowds at Powell Street Station.
The suspect, whom BART describes as "a white female, possibly in her 30's with long strawberry blonde hair," did not appear to be armed. She's not previously known to BART police, they say.
"I've been with BART police 19 years and I've never seen anything like this," said Deputy Chief Lance Haight at a Monday press conference reported on by ABC 7.
Dragland has said that she's not interested in pursuing charges against the suspect, as the robbery didn't actually happen. But BART police are undeterred in their investigation, saying that as many as 30 people were on train at the time of the robbery attempt, and they're hoping someone might have witnessed the incident and will come forward with more information. Those who think they recognize the suspect or who have more information on the case are asked to call BART PD at 510-464-7040.
Previously: Bizarre BART Mugging Attempt Goes Sideways When Victim Fakes Seizure
