Luggage thief caught after fleeing emergency Coast Starlight stop

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The Chief

The Chief

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Feb 23, 2003
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331
Location
Fort Worth Texas Wherethe WestBegins
  • Attempted to steal the backpack on the northbound train, then threatened physical violence against a conductor.
  • Yanked the Emergency.
  • Hopped off.
  • OSP pursues and catches him in the woods near Crescent Lake Junction.
http://www.heraldandnews.com/news/man-booked-after-emergency-amtrak-stop/article_4a9bc858-18f1-5758-a31c-2c770cb35e96.html

D.B. Cooper used parachute on that Oregon 727. OSP -- all that's missing is the C: COPS

((Mods: I looked & looked on this AU thinking this story is here but couldn't locate. If mine's a dupe, just delete.))
 
People ask me all the time, "Isn't taking the train boring?" Too bad I can't use this news item to prove it's not (since I'm usually trying to get people to take the train, and someone doing something like this wouldn't help)! :p
 
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Well, I've always said that no one in their right mind would try to steal something between stations on a train. After all, they paid for the ticket and they are taking big chances that what they are getting is worth more than not getting to their own destination. So this just proves this person is not rational.
 
All the charges mentioned sound like state charges, so will the Fed also file charges against him or is the state claiming jurisdiction over the Fed. IMHO the Fed should have jurisdiction based on the crimes occurring on Amtrak.
 
oregon pioneer said:
Well, I've always said that no one in their right mind would try to steal something between stations on a train. After all, they paid for the ticket and they are taking big chances that what they are getting is worth more than not getting to their own destination. So this just proves this person is not rational.
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*shrugs* I had some drunk steal the whole $3's out of my tip box while I was outside getting fresh air at BWI this morning. Best thing is there was only passengers in the Cafe from WAS-BWI, and the other person hadn't moved, so....only one other explanation. :eek:hboy:
 
I am sure that insurance regs and company policy prohibit the crew from chasing a fleeing passenger even if they steal something. Question being, how safe are the Conductors (and crew) when confronted with by a passenger with a weapon on a moving train in the middle of nowhere. They want pilots to carry, if this is the case, should a conductor carry or have the option to? With crazies (drugs) and the radicals (knife wielding) danger exists and by media accounts it seems to be growing.
 
I can think of few environments worse than a passenger train to have ill or little trained armed individuals trying to intervene in what in most cases would not be life-safety type of robberies/etc. Given the lines of sight, proximity of bystanders with little recourse for shelter or evacuation, moving environment in which a steady shot would be next to impossible, etc, it's just not a good idea.
 
Hey oregon pioneer here is the solution to the problem you mentioned: only steal things when departing the train at the destination you were traveling to anyway. Then you've paid for your ticket and gotten your journey to your destination, and anything of value you find in the stolen backpack or luggage is icing on the cake!
 
Really, you're advocating shooting somebody on a crowded train for stealing a backpack? I think that would cause way more problems than it would solve.
 
Manny T said:
Hey oregon pioneer here is the solution to the problem you mentioned: only steal things when departing the train at the destination you were traveling to anyway. Then you've paid for your ticket and gotten your journey to your destination, and anything of value you find in the stolen backpack or luggage is icing on the cake!
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I don't advocate either stealing, or making suggestions as to how to get away with it. I have always felt pretty secure on Amtrak, and I'd like to keep it that way. That said, it *is* public transportation, anyone has the right to be on it (with a paid ticket), and it's only sensible to take precautions with anything valuable.
 
oregon pioneer said:
Manny T said:
Hey oregon pioneer here is the solution to the problem you mentioned: only steal things when departing the train at the destination you were traveling to anyway. Then you've paid for your ticket and gotten your journey to your destination, and anything of value you find in the stolen backpack or luggage is icing on the cake!
Click to expand...
I don't advocate either stealing, or making suggestions as to how to get away with it. I have always felt pretty secure on Amtrak, and I'd like to keep it that way. That said, it *is* public transportation, anyone has the right to be on it (with a paid ticket), and it's only sensible to take precautions with anything valuable.
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Right. Factually, stealing stuff from Amtrak passengers is so unlikeley - no sweat at all.

But do keep your mobi and laptop on your person, for the 1-in10,000 chance.

Me, my "laptop" is a 7-year-old Walmart "intel atom" thing - encrypted but with no useful data on it. I leave it on my seat going to supper.

One in a million that somebody steals your luggage. One in 250 million that you win some lottery. One in 300 that you die from "accident" like motor vehicle accident of "falls in the home" or medical error :) or maybe 1 in 10

"What, me worry?' Naah
 
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Agreed, in all my travels on Amtrak, I have not heard about or talked with anyone who had something stolen. I think for many Amtrak passengers, there is an unwritten, unspoken agreement to be aware of your travel mates and since most people are honest they want a trusting atmosphere when traveling by train. Parents want a safe place for their children, one reason they travel by train. Out of sight out of mind, but I have never worried about my things.
 
About 25 years ago my daughter's friend had cash stolen out of her suitcase that had left on a lower level luggage rack in a superliner coach. Had I known in advance that she was carrying cash in her suitcase, I would have insisted she remove the money from the suitcase before we boarded the train and carry it on her person.
 
The last thing we need is armed conductors,, they seem to do quite will without them....

I would love to know what was in the backpack,,,,

We have never had any trouble with luggage, although I do zip tie the checked items an She Who Must be obeyed uses a KYSS back - we never lock it on the train, only in hotel rooms
 
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