It was an unexpected catch for BART’s Deputy Chief of Police Ja’Son Scott, who, while riding the train system, spotted a juvenile with a hoard of unpaid for merchandise. The girl was traveling near San Leandro Station, unknowingly under the watchful eye of law enforcement. The unassuming Deputy Chief discovered that the items she was in possession of were lined with security tags, a clear signal that this was no simple shopping trip gone awry. In a surprising turn, the products were worth over $2,000 and were identified as stolen from a local Target store in Fremont.
After further investigation, Deputy Chief Scott—who previously served with the Oakland Police Department, made the decision to cite and release the girl, despite the hefty price tag of the stolen goods. The merchandise, reaching a total of $2,132 in value, ranged from items easily concealed to those less so, posing the question of how such a feat was accomplished without immediate detection.
Details of the incident were first released in a Facebook post by the BART Police Department, which outlined the Deputy Chief’s fortuitous encounter on the train and his subsequent confrontation with the suspect. This narrative was also shared by Henry K. Lee on X, where it was noted that the girl was caught red-handed by the Deputy Police Chief after he zeroed in on the suspicious nature of the merchandise, still with their security tags intact, while on his daily transit patrol.
The ease with which the girl was apprehended, cited by Henry K. Lee, highlights the effectiveness of police presence in unexpected places.
