Mob of 30 Looters Raid Freight Train

(Scypre.com) – Wild helicopter footage captured a dramatic scene on Chicago’s West Side as a mob of about 30 people looted a freight train carrying appliances like air fryers and flat-screen TVs. According to police, some of the looters were armed. The brazen robbery unfolded around 2:40 p.m. as the double-stacked train was stopped for an interchange with a partner railroad. Thieves swarmed the containers, prying them open and loading the stolen goods into various vehicles, including a white box truck.

One officer, over the radio, noted the looters’ “creativity,” saying, “They’re bringing a U-Haul to the alley now.” Chicago Police officers responded swiftly, arriving with guns drawn and forcing the mob to scatter. The scene, captured near Lake St. and Lockwood Avenue, showed the robbers fleeing once law enforcement arrived. However, witnesses told ABC7 that the looting had gone on for nearly an hour before the police arrived.

Union Pacific, which owns the train, confirmed the robbery and reported that some stolen merchandise has been recovered. The incident caused disruptions to passenger rail traffic. Metra halted inbound and outbound Union Pacific West Line trains around 4:40 p.m., and services didn’t resume fully until after 6:50 p.m., with delays stretching into the evening.

Train burglaries in Chicago aren’t new. A similar theft occurred just a few months earlier, underscoring the rising challenge for railroads and law enforcement alike. “Rail burglaries are not victimless crimes,” a Union Pacific spokesperson said, adding that these incidents endanger the public, railroad employees, and police officers.

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