Police on Monday still had no new information about a man who fatally shot a passenger on a packed Bay Area Rapid Transit train over the weekend and then fled when the train stopped at the West Oakland station, causing panic among riders who thought it was a terrorist attack.
It was the first fatal shooting on a BART train in the municipal railway's history.
The suspect fled the train as some passengers frantically tried to save the shooting victim Saturday night, while others ran out of the train or got on the ground. BART spokesman Jim Allison said more information may be made available later on Monday.
Brad Chapin, a psychology student from San Francisco, was wearing earbuds and watching a video on his phone when heard shots being fired. He filmed some of the aftermath and shared it with media outlets, including NBC Bay Area. It shows passengers on the floor of the train looking scared.
"People were screaming. It was chaos," Chapin told Bay Area News Group. "We didn't know if there were terrorists there or what. "
He said about half of the passengers ran out of the train.
"So many people thought they were going to die," Chapin said. "It was terrifying."
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He told NBC Bay Area that people were diving out of the seats on top of him. "I thought, ‘What the heck is going on?’" he asked.
Chapin also said that other passengers tried to give the victim CPR.
Allison confirmed Sunday that the shooting was an isolated incident and not part of a terrorist attack.
BART police Lt. Aaron Ledford said the victim, who has not been identified, was in possession of "some sort of knife."
Police detained a man who fit the description of the suspect shortly after the incident, but later released him after determining he was not involved, Ledford said.
The Associated Press and NBC Bay Area's Christie Smith contributed to this report.
