Man who pushed elderly Pinay in San Francisco train station charged with murder

The man who pushed a 74-year-old Filipino into an oncoming train in the Powell Street station of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has been charged with murder, the San Francisco District Attorney said. 

The criminal complaint against the 49-year-old suspect Trevor Belmont, also known as Hoak Taing, also alleges that he “personally inflicted great bodily injury on a vulnerable victim and that he intentionally killed the victim while lying in wait.” 

The victim, Corazon Dandan, was pushed by Belmont as the train approached at approximately 11:06 p.m. last July 1, the BART Police said. This caused her to hit her head on the train and fell on the platform. 

Dandan was brought to the San Francisco General Hospital but later died due to severe head injuries. 

Belmont was immediately arrested by the police at the scene. The SF District Attorney’s Office moved to have him detained pending trial due to the “public safety risk he poses.” 

"The nature of this incident at Powell Street BART Station was tragic and truly shocking. I would like to express my deepest condolences to the victim’s family, friends and colleagues,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. 

"Unprovoked attacks, especially on our most vulnerable, are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. San Francisco residents, workers, and visitors should be able to freely move about and utilize our public transportation systems without fear. My office will now do everything in our power to ensure that there is justice in this case," she added. 

Dandan was a telephone operator at the Parc 55 Hotel in Union Square and was on her way home to Daly City when the attack happened. 

The family requested privacy as they are still mourning her loss. 

The SF District Attorney said that Belmont is scheduled to be arraigned on July 5. —KBK, GMA Integrated News