Ex-BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) officer Johannes Mehserle was finally arrested Tuesday on a fugitive warrant charging homicide. Mehserle is accused of murder in the fatal shooting death of Oscar Grant, III. The incident was captured on video by several witnesses on the train and has since created a public outcry for justice.
Mehserle, 27, was taken into custody in Douglas County, Nevada at about 7 p.m. (10 p.m. ET), Sgt. Dan Coverly of Douglas County Sheriff’s Office told CNN affiliate KGO-TV in San Francisco.
Mehserle resigned from his job as a BART police officer days after the shooting. The transit agency’s police force and Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff are investigating the incident.
Grant, a 22-year-old father, was killed on New Year’s Day in a crowded BART train station. Police had been called to the Fruitvale station after passengers complained about fights on a train and took Grant and several other people off the train once they arrived.
Videos from witnesses show Mehserle shooting Grant in the back as another BART officer kneeled on the man. The shooting spawned public outrage and a string of protests that led to more than a hundred riot-related arrests.
Police have not said whether Grant had been involved in the fight.
Referring to Mehserle’s arrest, BART said, “This comes after the BART Police Department conducted a thorough investigation that involved nine detectives, which BART Police turned over to District Attorney Thomas Orloff on Monday, Jan. 12.”
Leads led investigators to Mehserle in Zephyr Cove, Nevada. Contacted through his attorney, Mehserle surrendered. He was taken into custody at 6:20 p.m. PT without incident.
Jail staff report that Mehserle has cooperated and is in a segregated area and on a precautionary health and welfare watch. (Source)
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Well damn. It’s about time.