Thieves seen taking boxes from freight train on Chicago's West Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Several people climbed onto the tracks and raided a parked freight train in broad daylight Friday—taking boxes containing such items as TVs and air fryers.
The freight train was parked on the Union Pacific tracks north of Lake Street and south of Kinzie Street—along a stretch of track running at least from Cicero Avenue to Laramie Avenue.
Early on Friday afternoon, several people got onto the tracks and started raiding the contents of the boxcars on the freight train—which reportedly had started out being locked. The looting and raiding of the freight trains went on for several hours.
Neighbors said they were shocked what was going on, and called police.
Officers soon arrived at the scene, and saw people walking away with air fryers and TVs, which were being loaded into parked or waiting vehicles. Boxes were ripped open and left behind in the street.
Even after Chicago Police, Union Pacific police, and Metra police arrived on scene, people were still scaling the embankment at Lake Street and Lavergne Avenue to get onto the tracks.
It took Union Pacific police an hour to get everyone off the freight train tracks.
Union Pacific West Metra trains were stopped near Kedzie Avenue due to the heist.
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As of the 6 p.m. hour, no one was in custody in the thefts, and sirens were still heard in the area.
