OAKLAND — A thief who attempted to swipe a laptop from BART headquarters Thursday afternoon may have made his escape on a BART train itself, police said.

A man tried to steal a laptop about 2:30 p.m. from the 18th floor of the Kaiser Center, which is also BART headquarters, at 300 Lakeside Drive. But the suspected thief dropped the laptop and ran from the office and building, said BART police.

Authorities suspected he may have tried to escape into the nearby 19th Street BART station. Trains were stopped there for at least five minutes as police searched for the suspect. Small crowds of riders gathered outside the station as police blocked off entrances. Minor delays were reported throughout the system as officers searched for the station.

Despite a police presence of at least five Oakland and BART police cars, the suspect was not found. BART trains resumed operation shortly before 3 p.m.

Contact Angela Ruggiero at 510-293-2469 or twitter.com/aeruggie