Photo: Patrick Bingham
OAKLAND — A homeless man carrying two chainsaws was arrested on October 29. He was taken into custody for terrifying train passengers—with his tirade about decapitations during the evening rush hour.
Shortly before 4:30 p.m., passengers riding on the Bay Area Transit System deluged BART police with distress calls. Commuters reported a disturbed man was waving around a chainsaw inside a crowded train.
As if that wasn’t scary enough, the man opened a box and pulled out a second chainsaw. Meanwhile, authorities contacted by passengers advised them to move to another train car, and if possible, take pictures of the man.
While the train was traveling between stations, a passenger recorded a video of what was happening. It was posted on Twitter. At one point, the video shows the man attempting to start one of the chainsaws.
Within 10 minutes, BART police were pre-positioned and prepared to board the train. However, when the train stopped at the Lake Merritt Station the man simply got off.
A few minutes later, the man was apprehended by BART police. The suspect, a 47-year-old transient from Oakland, Patrick A. Bingham was arrested at 4:51 p.m.
Bingham was booked at Santa Rita Jail. He remains housed there in lieu of $22,500 bail. His charges are disturbing the peace, possession of a controlled substance, possession of burglary tools, shoplifting, and petty theft.
