x

Society

Calif. Man Charged in Amtrak Standoff

September 18, 2016

LOS ANGELES — An hours-long standoff with an armed man who barricaded himself aboard an Amtrak train ended early Sept. 17 after police used tear gas.

The man was taken into custody without incident and police recovered a handgun, Amtrak spokeswoman Christina Leeds said.

The train carrying 187 passengers and five crew members was evacuated the night of Sept. 16 after several reported seeing a man with a weapon acting erratically.

The train bound for San Diego was stopped in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles as police conducted a search.

“Someone reported that he dropped a gun — likely was then reported to the train folks — and that’s when things escalated,” passenger Allison Bird told KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

The standoff ended nearly eight hours later after tear gas was deployed, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The department tweeted a photo of a man in handcuffs wearing a cap, green shirt and shorts.

Amtrak identified the man as 46-year-old Oxnard resident Darius Palmer. He was charged in Los Angeles Superior Court with making terroristic threats and felony possession of a firearm, Leeds said.

It was not immediately known if Palmer has a lawyer.

Firearms are prohibited in carry-on bags, according to Amtrak policy. Passengers can check rifles, shotguns and handguns if they meet certain requirements, including notifying the rail agency beforehand, unloading the weapons and storing them in locked containers.

The standoff forced temporary delays of commuter trains that share the same tracks. Buses shuttled the evacuated passengers to other train stations.

Amtrak canceled two trains Saturday as the investigation continued.

RELATED

DETROIT (AP) — A six-week United Auto Workers strike at Ford cut sales by about 100,000 vehicles and cost the company $1.

Top Stories

Columnists

A pregnant woman was driving in the HOV lane near Dallas.

General News

FALMOUTH, MA – The police in Falmouth have identified the victim in an accident involving a car plunging into the ocean on February 20, NBC10 Boston reported.

Video

Echoes of Asia Minor: Life, Catastrophe and Resilience Opens at Consulate in NYC

NEW YORK – Consul General of Greece in New York Dinos Konstantinou in collaboration with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America hosted the opening reception of the moving exhibition Echoes of Asia Minor: Life, Catastrophe and Resilience on November 29 at the Consulate General of Greece in New York.

NEW YORK – The Hellenic Film Society USA presents Maria by Callas, the acclaimed documentary that tells the life story of the legendary Greek-American opera singer.

Enter your email address to subscribe

Provide your email address to subscribe. For e.g. [email protected]

You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in our newsletter.