Paroled felon arrested in Redwood City train stabbing
San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies arrested 31‑year‑old Jose Gomez Bustamante on Aug. 28 in connection with a fatal stabbing on a Caltrain platform in Redwood City, California. The victim, identified by the coroner as Joseph Michael Carreiro, was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition and later died; the case is being investigated as a homicide with assistance from Redwood City police and the county district attorney’s office. Authorities say Bustamante has a prior 2020 attempted‑stabbing conviction, was sentenced in June 2023, and released on parole in April after credits and program participation.
Crime
Public Safety
🔍 Key Facts
- Suspect: Jose Gomez Bustamante, 31, booked into Maguire Correctional Facility on Aug. 28 on suspicion of murder.
- Victim: Joseph Michael Carreiro, suffered critical injuries on a Caltrain platform and later died (identified by the coroner).
- Background: Bustamante pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon for a 2020 unprovoked attempted stabbing, sentenced June 2023 to six years and released on parole in April (records show parole violations and prior offenses).
📍 Contextual Background
- Iryna Zarutska was stabbed to death on a Charlotte light rail car on 2025-08-22.
- A magistrate released suspect Decarlos Brown Jr. in January 2025 on a written promise to appear without requiring bond.
- Federal prosecutors commonly resolve federal criminal charges through plea agreements, which typically result in a sentence below the statutory maximum.
- Decarlos Brown Jr. has been charged in connection with Zarutska's death with a state first-degree murder count and a federal count; both charges can be punishable by the death penalty.
- A crime statistician testified that rates of murder and violent crime were falling nationwide and in Charlotte after increases early in the 2020s (as of 2025-09-29).
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executes search warrants at residences and family homes as part of criminal investigations.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigates incidents of targeted violence.