Amtrak Passenger Detrained in Oceanside

North County Transit District security officers in Oceanside removed a passenger from a southbound Amtrak train shortly before 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 30, after being contacted by the crew.

The passenger, who boarded the train in Simi Valley, was allegedly drunk, would not follow crewmember instructions, and was found to be in possession of another passenger’s property after a series of incidents aboard the train.

The male passenger, in his early 20s, attempted to smoke a cigarette at the Irvine train station after being told by several crewmembers that Irvine was not a smoking stop. Passengers in the business-class car flagged down a crewmember shortly after the train departed San Juan Capistrano, when the man lit a cigarette at his seat.

An Amtrak crewmember told the passenger, “You’re no longer welcome on our train, and you will have to detrain in Oceanside.” When the train arrived in Oceanside, four NCTD security guards met the train and took the passenger into custody.

At that time, a female passenger informed crewmembers that her carry-on bag was missing. According to an Amtrak employee onboard the train, another employee from the railroad helped the passenger look for her missing luggage and subsequently found the missing bag in the overhead rack above the seat formerly occupied by the passenger who had been removed from the train. Several pieces of identification from her purse were located beneath the suspect’s seat.

A business-class passenger onboard the train stated he witnessed the male passenger place the woman’s bag onto the rack above his seat. Due to the incident, the train departed Oceanside six minutes late. No other information was available.