Wild news helicopter footage captured the moment a mob of approximately 30 people, some armed, according to police, looted a freight train in Chicago on Friday and made off with appliances like air fryers and flat-screen TVs.
At least six people were arrested following the incident which took place at around 2:40 p.m. as the double-stacked train was stopped and awaiting an interchange with a partner railroad on the city’s West Side, Union Pacific tells Fox News Digital.
Swarms of thieves can be seen opening container doors and then plundering the boxed goods. Police radio communications said the suspects were armed with guns and lock openers, Fox 32 Chicago reports, citing police.
The train was stopped, awaiting an interchange with a partner railroad, when thieves began opening containers. Rail burglaries are not victimless crimes, and they pose a safety threat to the public, our employees and local law enforcement officers.
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The suspects load the stolen goods into several vehicles, and in at least one instance, a white box truck appears on the scene to help the looters take away their ill-gotten gains.
"They're getting creative, they're bringing a U-Haul to the alley now," a police officer can be heard saying over police radio.
As the daylight robbery takes place, Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers arrive on the scene and draw their weapons, forcing the mob to flee the scene, video footage shows. The dramatic incident took place near Lake St. and Lockwood Avenue, Union Pacific tells Fox News Digital.
Witnesses told ABC7 that the burglary had been taking place for nearly an hour before police arrived.
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"Rail burglaries are not victimless crimes, and they pose a safety threat to the public, our employees and local law enforcement officers," a Union Pacific spokesperson tells Fox News Digital.
Union Pacific says that some of the stolen merchandise has been recovered.
The spillover from the incident stopped passenger traffic at around 4:40 p.m., Metra announced that inbound and outbound Union Pacific West Line trains were halted near Kedzie due to "ongoing police activity," per Fox 32.
At 6:50 p.m., Metra said UPW train service had resumed between Elburn and Maywood but remained suspended between Maywood and Chicago, warning riders to seek alternate transportation.
Train robberies are not uncommon in the Windy City, as a similar incident took place in August, ABC7 reports.
