SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A homeless man allegedly pushed a 74-year-old woman into an arriving San Francisco Bay Area commuter train, killing her, police said Tuesday.
Authorities with Bay Area Rapid Transit, better known as BART, said in a statement that the woman hit her head on the train and fell onto the platform in downtown San Francisco. She died at a local hospital.
The woman was pushed shortly after 11 p.m. Monday at the Powell Street station, authorities said. A 49-year-old man described by police as transient was booked into jail early Tuesday.
The medical examiner's office identified the woman as Corazon Dandan. Her nephew, Alvin Dandan, said she was going home after finishing her shift as a telephone operator at a downtown hotel, both the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Standard reported Tuesday.
BART police did not provide a motive, and the investigation is ongoing.
Homicides are rare on BART, which travels throughout much of the Bay Area. This is the first homicide of the year.
In New York City, a passenger died in March after being pushed into an oncoming subway train in an unprovoked attack by a person experiencing mental health issues. Two years ago, a homeless man pushed an Asian American woman into the NYC subway at the Times Square station, killing her.
Such seemingly random crimes attract widespread attention, but advocates for people who are homeless say they are more likely to be victims and not perpetrators of crime.
FILE - Bay Area Rapid Transit passengers wait for a BART train to depart, Oct. 22, 2013, in Oakland, Calif. A homeless man allegedly pushed a 74-year-old woman into an arriving San Francisco Bay Area commuter train, killing her, police said Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
BERLIN (AP) — Buildup to the Euro 2024 quarterfinal match between Turkey and the Netherlands has been overshadowed by a diplomatic row. Turkey defender Merih Demiral’s hand gesture after scoring against Austria has sparked a dispute between his country and host nation Germany. Demiral was banned on Friday for making a gesture used by Turkish nationalists and associated with an ultra-nationalist group. It led to condemnation from German authorities and strong pushback from Turkish counterparts, who accused the hosts of xenophobia. The row prompted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to change his plans and attend the match Saturday in Berlin’s Olympiastadion. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT). Here’s what to know about the match:
— UEFA on Friday suspended Demiral for two matches because of his celebration after scoring the second goal in the 2-1 win over Austria. The governing body said he had brought the sport into disrepute by making the gesture.
— Turkish “ultras” are calling on other supporters to make the same controversial gesture during the national anthem before the game. The ultras can be expected to make it during the game, too.
— Demiral and Turkish authorities have defended the sign as an expression of Turkish pride. Critics say it glorifies a right-wing organization known for racism and violence against minorities.
— Neither team has made it to the quarterfinals since Euro 2008, when the Netherlands lost to Russia in extra time and Turkey defeated Croatia on penalties to reach its only semifinal to date.
— The Dutch reached the last eight with a 3-0 win over Romania. The team has been supported by thousands of orange-clad fans, but struggled in the group stage and only squeezed into the last 16 by finishing third in a group behind Austria and France.
— Turkey finished runner-up in a group behind Portugal, then defeated Austria thanks to Demiral’s two goals, though the team needed a brilliant save in stoppage time from Mert Gunok to preserve the win.
— The winner will play either England or Switzerland in a semifinal in Dortmund on Wednesday.
— While captain Hakan Calhanoglu returns after a suspension, Turkey will be without Demirial because of his ban, and midfielders Orkun Kokcu and Ismail Yuksek are both suspended. Eight more Turkish players — including Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz — are in danger of missing the next match if booked.
— No Dutch players are suspended, while Denzel Dumfries, Joey Veerman, Jerdy Schouten and Donyell Malen will hope to avoid any yellow cards that rule them out of a potential semifinal.
— The Netherlands is bidding to reach the semifinals for the sixth time, and first since 2004.
— Turkey made it to the semifinals in 2008, losing to Germany 3-2.
— There have been 14 games between the countries with the Netherlands winning six, Turkey winning four, and four draws.
— They last played in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, when Turkey won 4-2 in Istanbul before the Netherlands won 6-1 in Amsterdam.
“The Netherlands have also played big matches and had difficult moments. Most importantly, we know where they are weak and where they are strong. We have knowledge about how we can hurt them and we will start trying to implement that.” — Turkey assistant coach Daniele Russo.
“It’s going to be even bigger in Berlin. I think, we Turks, we’re everywhere. You can see in the videos, how people are celebrating in the streets and how they’re happy. We want to continue making them happy.” — Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu.
AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
Xavi Simons of the Netherlands runs for the ball with Romania's Andrei Ratiu during a round of sixteen match between Romania and the Netherlands at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Netherlands' Donyell Malen (18) celebrates with' Xavi Simons (7) after scoring his side's third goal during a round of sixteen match between Romania and the Netherlands at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Turkey's Arda Guler yells to a teammate during a round of sixteen match between Austria and Turkey at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Euro 2024: Diplomatic row overshadowing Turkey's quarterfinal match against Netherlands
Euro 2024: Diplomatic row overshadowing Turkey's quarterfinal match against Netherlands
Turkey's Merih Demiral celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Austria during a round of sixteen match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Leipzig, Germany, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
