Arrested: BART Stabbing Suspect; 3 Deaths In 3 Days

BAY AREA — BART Police announced Monday night that the man suspected of viciously stabbing two sisters Sunday night as they stepped off a train at the MacArthur station in Oakland was arrested. Police received an anonymous tip that the suspect, 27-year-old John Lee Cowell, was aboard a BART train. He was arrested at the Pleasant Hill station without incident.

The arrest caps a tumultuous few days for the transit agency and its police department. Earlier Monday, BART confirmed that three deaths had occurred in just three days, all the result of attacks that happened at BART stations in the East Bay. With Cowell's arrest, two suspects are behind bars. Photos of the outstanding suspect, who is unidentified, have been released.

The most recent attack is the case involving Cowell, who is accused of randomly stabbing sisters Nia and Lahtifa Wilson on the platform at the MacArthur BART station Sunday night. The younger sister, 18-year-old Nia, was pronounced dead at the station, while 26-year-old Lahtifa was hospitalized for her injuries. BART police officers were at the station and "were flagged down about a male suspect on the platform with a knife," the department said in a written statement. "Officers arrived on the platform and found two women suffering from stab wounds. Officers immediately began rendering aid to the victims until paramedics arrived."

Police identified Cowell as the suspect after receiving surveillance video

>>Also See: Woman Murdered At BART Station Identified

A third photo released of Cowell was a booking photo from a previous incident. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. Also, download the free Patch iPhone app or free Patch Android app. Also, be sure to follow your local Patch on Facebook!)

The second death happened at the Bay Fair station in San Leandro on Saturday. The victim was 47-year-old transient Don Stevens. He was found unconscious on the station platform. He was later declared dead at a hospital. Surveillance video showed that Stevens was punched in the side of his head by a suspect. The victim struck his head on the concrete when he fell after the attack.

Police don't know his name but have released photos of the suspect. He is 5’8” to 5’10” with a medium build, shoulder length dreadlocks in a ponytail with a scruffy beard.

At the time of the attack, the suspect was wearing a white t-shirt and a green jacket.

The first death was reported on Friday, as a result of an attack that happened in Pleasant Hill on Wednesday. In that case, a man was assaulted at the Pleasant Hill station. BART reports that he suffered a bloody lip and a small cut to the back of his knee. The victim went to the hospital on Thursday because he wasn't feeling well. He was treated and released from the hospital. The victim was found dead in his bed on Friday night. An autopsy listed the cause of death as "an infection from the small cut on his knee," BART police said in a statement. The San Francisco Chronicle identified the victim as 51-year-old Gerald Bisbee of Pittsburg.

The suspect in the Pleasant Hill case, 20-year-old Abdul Bey, was arrested after the attack and remains in custody, according to BART. His photo is not immediately available.

-All photos via BART