A mentally ill man accused of a BART-shoving death had been in and out of the criminal justice system for two decades

By Hamilton Team

Published on:

A mentally ill man accused of a BART-shoving death had been in and out of the criminal justice system for two decades

The homeless, mentally ill man who is accused of killing a 74-year-old woman at the Powell Street BART Station in July is still in the hospital and has not made a plea. Also, the Chronicle has looked into this crime record, which is very long.

Trevor Belmont, aka Hoak Taing, who is 49 years old, is likely to be the next case study for the cause of custody. He had a history with the criminal justice system in the Bay Area.

Advertisement

It may not have directly pointed to murder, but it does look like the record of someone who was let down by the system and should have been forced into mental health care years ago.

Belmont is accused of killing 74-year-old Corazon Dandan on July 1 by pushing her in front of a coming BART train. Dandan had worked at the Westin St. Francis Hotel for a long time.

Advertisement

Prosecutors say Belmont “surreptitiously” approached Dandan from behind and “just as the train got close enough, he full-force shoved Ms. Dandan into its path, using both hands… and sent her flying into the oncoming train.”

The alleged act was seen by many people and caught on surveillance cameras. Dandan was hit in the head and threw back onto the stage. At the hospital later, they said she was dead.

Advertisement

According to the Chronicle, Belmont has had multiple interactions with BART police and other Bay Area law enforcement agencies.

In 2018, a judge told him to stay away from all BART trains and stations for three years because he was charged with lewd conduct, which he broke almost right away.

Advertisement

After that, in 2018, he was arrested for “swinging his closed fists at BART riders on the platform of the Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station.” He was given a ticket and then let go.

The first time he was seen by the SFPD was in 2007. Because of his past of violence, he has been given many stay-away orders, including one that says he can’t go to any school in California.

Advertisement

Because he was found guilty of assault and battery on an SF State employee in 2013, he was told to stay away from that school.

The next year, a judge told Belmont to stay away from St. Monica’s Catholic School for reasons that aren’t clear in the record.

Advertisement

The Chronicle found that Belmont has been arrested 27 times over the course of 17 years.

The fact that Belmont talked to BART police is likely to be used as proof in court because Dandan’s family sued the agency for wrongful death.

Advertisement

Through its careless security measures, the suit says BART “failed to uphold its duty to protect passengers from harm.”

Belmont’s first court date is today, Friday. He has been hospitalized for four months and hasn’t been able to show up. He was told to get a psychiatric exam at the beginning of July. He hasn’t made a plea yet.

Advertisement
Source

For You!



Disclaimer- We are committed to fair and transparent journalism. Our Journalists verify all details before publishing any news. For any issues with our content, please contact us via email. 

Recommend For You

Leave a Comment