The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) announced that the swift actions of an agency employee led to the arrest of a credit card thief who had two outstanding warrants for his arrest. In accordance with BART policy, the agency has not identified the employee.

In the Aug. 20 incident, the employee at Lafayette Station was helping a male customer try to purchase a ticket and noted that the man was attempting to use a credit card with a woman's name on it while also holding a woman's ID card. When questioned, the man abruptly left the station before officers could arrive to investigate. Later, the employee saw the man re-enter the station and immediately called BART Police. The police identified the man and arrested him for possession of stolen property, theft, a parole violation, and two outstanding warrants.

The BART employee later found a woman's wallet in a trash can at the station with identification that matched the name on the credit card the man was trying to use. Officers contacted the owner of the wallet, who identified the suspect as the person who stole her purse from her job earlier that day, a crime she had reported to the Walnut Creek Police Department.

BART Police Chief Kenton Rainey said: “This is one of several scenarios this summer where someone stepped up, did the right thing and reported suspicious behavior, leading to a solid arrest.”