74-year-old San Francisco woman reportedly shoved to her death by man with 27 arrests. Family is suing city's transit agency.
'This lawlessness has to stop.'
The family of a 74-year-old woman who was allegedly killed after being pushed into an oncoming train has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against San Francisco's transit agency. The woman's alleged killer reportedly was a man with 27 arrests who was banned previously from the transit system.
Corazon Dandan was waiting for a train at the Powell Street station in downtown San Francisco on July 1, 2024. The incident allegedly occurred as Dandan was returning home from her night shift as a telephone operator at Hilton’s Parc 55 hotel in Union Square.
'She had a lot to live for.'
Trevor Belmont — a reported homeless man also known as Hoak Taing — is accused of shoving Dandan, who hit her head on the oncoming train.
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KTVU-TV reported that Dandan was shoved so hard that she fell backward on the platform. She was transported to a local hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Belmont was arrested by police at the scene of the crime.
There was no clear motive for the apparent crime, authorities said.
The San Francisco District Attorney's Office said Belmont was charged with murder. He was also charged with the special circumstance of lying in wait — a legal term to describe when a suspect deliberately hides to surprise their victim in an ambush-like attack.
If convicted, Belmont could face a sentence of life in prison without parole.
"The nature of this incident at Powell Street BART Station was tragic and truly shocking. I would like to express my deepest condolences to the victim’s family, friends, and colleagues," said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. "Unprovoked attacks, especially on our most vulnerable, are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. San Francisco residents, workers, and visitors should be able to freely move about and utilize our public transportation systems without fear. My office will now do everything in our power to ensure that there is justice in this case."
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Belmont previously had been arrested at least 27 times in "multiple Bay Area counties over the past two decades for allegations that included lewd conduct and assault, though it appears prosecutors did not pursue most other cases against him, court records show."
In 2018, a judge reportedly banned Belmont from Bay Area Rapid Transit trains and stations for three years after he was convicted of lewd conduct at a BART station in Alameda County.
Dandan's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court of Northern California on Tuesday.
'My aunt loved San Francisco. Something’s got to change. I wish that my aunt’s death not be in vain. I wish that we can rebuild this city to what it once was.'
The lawsuit claims BART "enables horrific crimes" to happen and accuses the agency of being a “complete failure” in ensuring riders' safety.
The complaint spotlighted violent crimes committed in San Francisco's transit system since Dandan's death, including a deadly stabbing.
The lawsuit accuses BART of failing to implement adequate security measures.
"These failures in safety are a longstanding issue," the lawsuit reads. "BART has repeatedly failed to make its stations safe for its riders, whether through increased safety staffing or physical security features."
The suit claims the BART's "lack of safety" is especially worrisome for members of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities who allegedly are "disproportionately targeted on public transit."
The lawsuit said Dandan's death "does not constitute an unforeseeable accident but rather is a direct result of the violence that BART has ignored and enabled throughout their stations through its negligent conduct."
At a Wednesday press conference, Dandan's nephew — Dr. Alvin Dandan — declared, "My aunt loved San Francisco. Something’s got to change. I wish that my aunt’s death not be in vain. I wish that we can rebuild this city to what it once was."
The nephew said of his aunt, "She had a lot to live for. And a lot of kindness that she would give, but that was taken way too soon."
Dandan’s family — represented by the Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy law firm — seeks damages for wrongful death, elder abuse, and dangerous conditions on public property.
Alvin Dandan stated, "We seek to hold BART accountable for its failure to keep my aunt safe. Through this case, we hope that what happened to my aunt never happens to anyone else. In her name, and in her memory, we would like to see justice."
"This lawlessness has to stop. BART has long been on notice about the need for improved safety and protection," proclaimed Nanci Nishimura, an attorney representing the family.
BART did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit by the San Francisco Standard.
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