Oakland and BART police officers shot and killed a man Saturday morning near the Fruitvale BART Station when, authorities said, he charged the officers holding a knife in each hand after leading them on a chase for blocks.
Investigators believe there is no connection to the highly publicized Jan. 1, 2009, shooting of unarmed train rider Oscar Grant by BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle at the Fruitvale BART Station.
Grant was killed as he lay facedown on the platform. The shooting touched off widespread protests in Oakland, which resurfaced after a Los Angeles jury convicted Mehserle of involuntary manslaughter July 8 instead of a more serious murder charge.
Five officers opened fire on the man when he threatened an officer after police unsuccessfully tried to subdue him with a Taser stun gun, Oakland police Officer Jeff Thomason said.
‘He had one knife in each hand and charged toward one of the officers,’ Thomason said. ‘That’s when the other officers opened fire.’
Three Oakland officers and two BART officers fired their weapons, police said. The man, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Oakland officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, the department’s standard practice after an officer-involved shooting. The BART officers were expected to be put on paid leave also, said BART spokesman Linton Johnson.
