Wanted: Man Who Allegedly Punched Train Conductor, Causing Concussion

A man who allegedly assaulted a train conductor is wanted by authorities in San Diego.

A surveillance image of the suspect was released Thursday by San Diego County Crime Stoppers and investigators from the North Coastal Sheriff's Station in the hopes someone in the public can help identify and locate him.

The alleged assault occurred the morning of Wednesday, April 6 after an unknown man was seen acting strangely at 7:25 a.m. while onboard a southbound Coaster train from Oceanside to Santa Fe Depot.

"At the Old Town station, a passenger pressed the train’s emergency button to alert the conductor of the man’s strange behavior," authorities stated in a news release. "Fearing for the safety of the other passengers the conductor asked the man to disembark the train.

"The man initially appeared to cooperate with the conductor’s request, but as the conductor turned away from him, the man punched the conductor once in the face causing his glasses to fall off and his nose to bleed.

"The conductor fell into a pole and used it to steady himself as he was dizzy from the punch. He suffered a mild concussion and numerous lacerations.

"After the assault on the conductor the suspect ran off of the train."

The suspect is described as a 30- to 35-year‐old white man who is approximately 6-foot tall and weighs about 170 pounds. He had dark hair, a light beard and was wearing sunglasses, a black tank top shirt, tan pants, and a blue backpack around his waist.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to call the San Diego Sheriff’s Department at 858-565‐5200 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 888- 580‐8477. Anonymous email and text messages can be sent via Sdcrimestoppers.org.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in this case.