BART operator in SF reports being hit in face, orders riders off train

Passengers aboard a San Francisco bound train wait for the doors to close at the 19th Street BART station in Oakland, Calif. on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018. BART is setting up a bus bridge between the West Oakland station and the 19th Street and Lake Merritt stations during selected weekends in August and September to perform critical track work. less Passengers aboard a San Francisco bound train wait for the doors to close at the 19th Street BART station in Oakland, Calif. on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018. BART is setting up a bus bridge between the West Oakland ... more Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close BART operator in SF reports being hit in face, orders riders off train 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

A nearly 40-minute BART delay Friday in San Francisco was caused by an assault on an operator, according to a train worker who announced the assault to passengers over a loudspeaker.

The alleged assault occurred about 9:30 a.m. at the 24th and Mission station and comes on the heels of a violent summer in which numerous passengers have been attacked. Some of those attacks, such as the July stabbing of 18-year-old Nia Wilson, were fatal.

Earlier this month, a BART station agent was punched in the face and suffered a gash on the cheek.

BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost told The Chronicle that police responded to a disruptive passenger Friday and a man was taken into custody.

A Chronicle staffer was on the delayed train in which an operator announced she was hit in the face over the loudspeaker before walking through the cars to inform passengers she would manually open the doors so they could exit at the 24th and Mission station platform.

Another transit agency worker arrived to help open the doors after a delay of roughly 40 minutes in all East Bay directions, the Chronicle staffer said.

Service to BART was restored by about 10 a.m.

Josh Koehn is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: josh.koehn@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Josh_Koehn