16-year-old fatally stabbed at RT station in Rancho Cordova identified

The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office has identified the teenager fatally stabbed last week by a Sacramento Regional Transit security guard as 16-year-old Michael Ray Berry of Fair Oaks.

The stabbing happened just before 5 p.m. Thursday at the Mather Field/Mills Transit Center on Mills Station Road in Rancho Cordova, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said the altercation began after a security guard confronted Berry and a teenage girl for vaping on a bus. The teens either left or were escorted off the bus, according to deputies. A physical struggle ensued between Berry and the guard, during which the teen was stabbed. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.

The security guard, whose name has not been released, was briefly detained but not arrested. The Sheriff’s Office and Regional Transit police are jointly investigating the incident. Officials said the investigation will be submitted to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office for review and possible charges.

RT officials said the guard may have acted in self-defense after being attacked by the teens, and noted that their security personnel, referred to as Transit Ambassadors, are trained in de-escalation but are not authorized to carry knives.

The girl’s condition has not been disclosed. Authorities have not said whether she was injured in the altercation.

RT officials said they are cooperating with investigators and will take further action as warranted.