Crime

Yuba man faces attempted murder charge, allegedly forced man onto rail tracks at knifepoint

Police tape blocks entrance to a convenience store in San Luis Obispo County.

The alleged crime seemed a scene out of silent movie melodrama: a Yuba County man forced another man at knifepoint to lay across railroad tracks to be struck by an oncoming train.

But Marysville police rolled to the rescue, and now the suspected knife-wielding captor faces kidnapping, attempted murder and other charges in the bizarre incident.

Kyle Ross McCray, 35, remained held in lieu of $1 million bail Thursday at Yuba County Jail in Marysville. He was arrested Tuesday by Marysville officers on suspicion of a host of charges including brandishing a weapon, kidnapping, false imprisonment and attempted murder. No one was hurt, authorities said.

The story began, Marysville police said, with a man pleading for help in a 9:30 a.m. call Tuesday to emergency dispatchers.

“Please don’t hurt me,” the man was overheard calling out on the open 911 line.

“Lay right there,” came another voice, police said.

Marysville police say the pleading call brought officers to the area of the 1000 block of 11th Street. They included an officer who spotted the man suspected of threatening the man prone on the rail tracks.

As the officer talked with McCray, the man on the tracks again called out for help and pointed out McCray to police. The man later told Marysville officers McCray had forced him onto the tracks intending for him to be struck by an oncoming train.

McCray pleaded not guilty to his charges Wednesday in Yuba Superior Court, online court records show.

Darrell Smith
The Sacramento Bee
Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.
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