Dead Body Found in U-Haul, Hours After BART Police Officer Shot, Wounded Near Hayward Station

NBC Bay Area

Bay Area Rapid Transit police say investigators discovered a dead body inside the U-Haul truck that officers saw being pushed by the man involved in a dramatic gunfight with BART police on Friday morning.

One of the officers was shot in the arm, and was later treated and released from Eden Valley Medical Center in Castro Valley. BART police said the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Charles Goetting, was transported to the same hospital where he was in stable condition after surgery.  

Forensic investigators found an unidentified man’s body inside the U-Haul connected to Goetting, a BART spokesperson said.

Earlier Friday, spokesperson Denisse Gonzalez said officers approached Goetting in a parking area at the Hayward BART station, near Grand and Claire streets, about 11:15 a.m. because they noticed the U-Haul had a back window smashed out and they thought he was acting suspiciously. As the officers tried to identify Goetting, he ran, turned and shot at the officers in pursuit, Gonzalez said.

Mauricio Palma, 15, who had just opened a new drone for Christmas, said he and his father ran out when they heard gunshots and saw two officers struggling to handcuff a man.

One of the officers was bleeding from his upper arm, Palma said.

“There was a lot of blood,” he said. “He was kind of woozy.” Palma said he advised the officer to put pressure on the wound and helped him up before a police car took him away.

Goetting is on probation in Alameda County for burglary, drug-dealing and weapons violations, police said.

The wounded officer has not been identified.

Police said they would recommend attempted murder charges against Goetting.

The Hayward BART station remained open throughout the day.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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