The Chula Vista Police Department arrested a 34-year-old suspect on Saturday after officers said he stabbed a homeless man at the Palomar Trolley Station, and then stole a car.
Police said they received a 911 call the following afternoon about a stolen car on Moss Street. Officers arrested Tulio Gasca and he was booked on charges of attempted murder and car theft.
The victim, a 36-year-old man who was sleeping on the premises in the early morning hours Saturday, is expected to survive, Chula Vista police said.
MTS said the attack happened when no trolley service was in operation.
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This latest incident comes after MTS launched an initiative earlier this year aimed at increasing safety on public transportation. The initiative, which started in January, beefed up the number of security officers by 60% at trolley stations across San Diego County. Their goal is to be fully staffed by Sept. 2024.
The initiative came in response to a customer satisfaction survey, indicating the majority of passengers do not feel safe on public transportation. In addition, total crimes related to MTS buses and trolleys jumped in 2021, and then nearly doubled in 2022.
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NBC 7 Investigates dug into five years of crime report data, showing that crimes including homicide, assaults, robberies, sex offenses, and vandalism have been trending in the wrong direction. There was also a noticeable difference in the number of incidents happening on MTS trolleys compared to buses.
"You have to provide security. Because you don't know who gets on and off. You don't know what kind of state someone is in," said one passenger who did not want to be identified. She has been taking public transportation for the last eight years.
"Everybody has to work, people have to go shopping. So they should at least provide two security guards per trolley car. Because you never know what to expect," she said.
As part of the initiative, MTS will have 34 new code compliance inspectors hired by the spring, for a total of 90. The company also contracts with a private security firm, allowing for 200 armed security officers around San Diego County.
Not everybody thinks that MTS should be to blame.
"MTS is amazing people. They do everything they can do, but there's some things that are out of everyone's power," said Caelin Price, a Chula Vista native. "It's safe. I travel to Tijuana every day in the municipal," he added.
MTS deferred to Chula Vista police, the lead investigating agency, for information on the stabbing.
