A man and a woman exiting the Downtown Berkeley BART station Monday night/early Tuesday were stabbed by an assailant who has not been located. Both victims were hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds.
The victims, according to BART spokesperson Jim Allison, are a 27-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman, who were both riding the main escalator up to Shattuck Avenue and Center Street, as Berkeleyside reports. The stabbing happened at 12:50 a.m. Tuesday, and the victims were transported to separate hospitals — the woman to Highland Hospital and the man to Alta Bates.
Allison said that BART police still have not determined if the attack was random or targeted, and as of Tuesday morning, no suspect had been found.
The assailant has been described as a black man, between 20 and 25 years old, with a slim build and medium complexion. He was wearing a gray hoodie and gray pants with a black stripe down the leg, with dark shoes.
As SFGate notes, the suspect fled the scene on a bicycle.
BART says it is looking to see if surveillance images are available, but does not yet intend to release those to the public.
The incident comes about a year after a brutal, fatal stabbing at the MacArthur BART station in Oakland, in which 18-year-old Nia Wilson lost her life.
Any possible witnesses to the attack or anyone with information about the suspect are asked to call BART police at 510-464-7000.
Photo of Downtown Berkeley BART by gruntso