69-year-old hospitalized, Riverside-Downtown Metrolink station closed, after stabbing
UPDATED: Sunday, Sept. 23, 2:35 p.m.
SEE UPDATE: Stabbed in neck at Riverside-Downtown Metro station, 69-year-old in critical condition – suspect arrested
See original story below.
RIVERSIDE — A 60-year-old was hospitalized in serious condition after a man stabbed him earlier this morning at the Riverside-Downtown Metrolink station.
City of Riverside Police and Fire Departments, along with other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the station around 8:15 a.m., after receiving reports of a victim stabbed on the station’s property.
The stabbing and subsequent investigation caused all trains scheduled to travel through the downtown station to stop and Metrolink was forced to make arrangements to divert all affected passengers to other area stations. Rail officials later announced they were offering to reimburse rail commuters affected by the police activity and station closure.
Riverside PD later said the victim and suspect were involved in a verbal altercation just before the stabbing and have described the suspect as a black male in his 20s.
Police and officials do not believe the victim and suspect knew each other and the alleged suspect has not yet been identified or located, but officers are reviewing security footage of the incident. Their investigation is ongoing.
RIVERSIDE — Very few details are known after Metrolink’s downtown Riverside Station was temporarily closed this morning while authorities investigate a possible assault with a deadly weapon on the station’s property.
No trains are currently running through the station and all rail commuters have been diverted to other area stations, according to Metrolink’s website and Twitter.
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Although officials have not yet released any details of their ongoing investigation, information gathered at the scene has indicated the station was closed shortly 8:15 a.m., when Riverside PD officers responded to the station after receiving reports of a possible stabbing on the station’s property.
Riverside’s downtown Metrolink Station is currently closed due to police activity and all weekend commuters have been diverted to other area stations. J.D. Denilofs photo
A victim has reportedly been transported to an area hospital, but no updates have been provided on the person’s injuries.
No details have been prov
ided regarding the criminal investigation; however, heavy police activity could be seen near the front of the station and the entire parking lot nearest the station remains cordoned off with crime scene tape. Officers and Metrolink security personnel were seen turning away incoming vehicles and potential train passengers.
As of this report, no suspects were in custody and Riverside PD’s investigation is active and ongoing at the scene.
Officials have not provided an estimated time when the station will be reopened and Metrolink is offering reimbursements for those affected by the closure and information is available on the Metrolink website on how to be reimbursed.
For more information about the current closures and how to obtain a refund, visit Metrolink.
This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.