Taxi-Fare Dodger Gets Free Ticket to Los Angeles

On October 3 at about 8:15 p.m., San Diego police responded to a disturbing-the-peace call at the Santa Fe Depot on Kettner Boulevard.

The incident occurred shortly after 8:00 p.m., when a taxi driver dropped off a 16-year-old male who ran away without paying the fare and boarded a northbound Amtrak train heading to Los Angeles.

The driver of the independent Blue Cab, identified as Ismael, contacted SDPD and security personnel at Amtrak, who located the fare-dodging passenger on board the train. A security guard at the station said a female passenger agreed to pay the young man’s $32 cab fare and $31 Amtrak ticket.

According to a police report obtained from SDPD detective Gary Hassen, the situation was resolved after the cab fare and Amtrak ticket were paid for. The juvenile passenger was allowed to travel to Los Angeles.

The lead Amtrak ticket agent in San Diego contacted the Amtrak Police Department for further handling when the train arrived at its destination at Union Station. No other details were available from Amtrak police.

The train departed San Diego three minutes late because of the incident and arrived in Los Angeles on time.