SAN FRANCISCO — A man charged Thursday in the fatal stabbing of a good Samaritan on a San Francisco Bay Area commuter train walked away from a hospital before the attack but was not necessarily a threat to others, authorities said.
Bay Area Rapid Transit interim Police Chief Ed Alvarez said Wednesday that a barefoot Jermaine Brim walked away from San Leandro Hospital, which listed him in its records as a “missing person at risk” before he allegedly fatally stabbed Oliver Williams, 49, on a train Tuesday. Alvarez didn’t say when Brim left the hospital.
BART spokesman Christopher Filippi said a person can be listed as “at risk” because they were the victim of a crime, need medical attention, have no history of running away or are mentally impaired.
Officials haven’t said if Brim, 39, has mental health issues and a San Leandro Hospital spokeswoman wouldn’t discuss the case, citing patient privacy laws.
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Williams tried to stop Brim from stealing a sleeping passenger’s shoes and the two got into a fight, Bay Area Rapid Transit officials said in a statement. Williams pulled a knife that was wrestled away by Brim, who then used it to stab Williams several times, they said.
Brim was wearing only pants when he was arrested near the Hayward station after he tried to steal a van at a car dealership.
He was charged in an Alameda County court on Thursday. It was immediately clear if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Jan Emerson-Shea, California Hospital Association spokeswoman, said the only way a hospital can retain a patient is if a medical expert determines them to be a danger to themselves or others.
“And even then, they can only be held for up to 72 hours,” Emerson-Shea said.
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