UNION CITY – A BART police officer shot a 32-year-old woman Monday night at the Union City station parking lot after a confrontation that began when she was stopped for alleged reckless driving, authorities said.
The woman was shot in the upper body and was in serious but stable condition Tuesday at a hospital.
The shooting happened around 8:57 p.m. Monday in the parking lot of the station, located at 10 Union Square.
At a news conference Tuesday morning, BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin said two BART officers responded to a report of reckless driving in the lot and conducted a traffic stop.
He said during the stop the driver “is alleged to have assaulted a police officer which led to one of the officers discharging their firearm.”
Citing the on-going investigation, he would not say if the woman tried to run the officers down with the vehicle or assault one of them in some other way.
Franklin also would not say if the officer who fired their gun was a man or woman or how long they had been on the department. He also declined to provide the same information about the other officer present.
He did say both officers had their body-worn cameras activated.
The woman who was shot was provided immediate first aid and taken to a hospital.
Once she is medically cleared she will be booked at Santa Rita Jail on assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, reckless evading of a peace officer, failure to obey a court order and resisting arrest with an enhancement of committing a felony while out on her own recognizance. Franklin said she had two outstanding arrest warrants, but did not say what they were for.
The chief identified her as Jasmine Gao, of Union City.
Franklin said pursuant to standard department protocol, drug and alcohol testing was conducted for the officer who fired their weapon. Both officers have been placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.
Police had closed the station Monday evening to investigate the shooting but it reopened at 5 a.m. Tuesday.
BART’s Office of the Independent Police Auditor was notified about the shooting and went to the station to conduct its own investigation, according to the transit agency.
Anyone with information about the shooting may contact BART police detectives at 510-464-7040.
Staff writer and Rick Hurd contributed to this report.