Armed Robbery In Orinda BART Station Parking Lot Sunday

Readers have pointed out what they see as a spike in property crime at our two Lamorinda BART stations in recent weeks, but it also appears criminals are getting bolder and more direct in their contact with victims.

In the latest in a recent series of incidents at or near Orinda and Lafayette station, a woman reported being accosted and robbed by three suspects – one of whom she said was armed with a rifle or shotgun – and who robbed her of her purse at 4:27 p.m. Sunday.

The woman described her assailants as three black males in their late teens to early 20s. She said one of them used his body to wedge her into the front passenger seat of her car before reaching in and taking her purse.

The victim told police another robber appeared to be holding a rifle or shotgun against his chest, pointing upward.

The suspects fled from the station in what the victim described as a “pearly” white colored, newer model Mercedes SUV, with a possible third row. The victim was not injured and said that she would not be able to identify the suspects.

Neighboring agencies were notified of the incident along with the suspect vehicle and suspect descriptions in this latest incident.

Readers may remember an account of an earlier armed encounter on the pedestrian walkway leading to the Orinda BART station as well as a tense high-risk stop of a suspected drug dealer at Lafayette station earlier in the month.