CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago police are investigating the theft of railroad freight Friday afternoon on the city's west side.
Helicopter 7 was over the scene, showing the brazen freight robbery as a mob of thieves was seen ransacking a freight train in South Austin, tearing apart multiple boxes of cargo.
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Witnesses told ABC7 that at least a dozen people participated in the robbery for about an hour before police arrived.
Witness Princess Shaw said: “When I saw the men there, I said to myself: ‘This doesn’t look right.’” “As we were getting off, we saw the man on board Cicero himself, opening the freight train.”
That's when Shaw said she started taking photos as the group began breaking into freight cars.
Who's really doing anything about this, right? Because this is clearly a broken system.
In a statement issued late Friday, a Union Pacific spokesperson said, “The train was stopped, waiting to interchange with a partner railroad, when the thieves began opening the containers.”
Chicago police said officers arrived at the scene shortly before 4 p.m. in the 400 block of North Lamon Street.
“We just saw police flying in here from all different directions,” Shaw said.
At one point, police officers were seen drawing their weapons and pointing them at at least one car that appeared to be speeding away from the scene.
Railroads are no stranger to this type of cargo theft. It was the second time in a few months that people had allegedly broken into freight trains on the train route.
“This happens over and over, over and over,” Shaw said.
It happened last August, near Lawler and Kinsey on the city's west side, when thieves broke into another freight train and made off with several boxes filled with televisions, police said.
Read more | Authorities say Union Pacific is investigating the theft of freight train cargo on the West Side
It's a crime of opportunity in a west side neighborhood that Shaw said is devoid of opportunity for many.
“Who's really doing anything about this, right?” Shaw said. “Because this is clearly a broken system.”
Union Pacific, which has now taken over the investigation from CPD, said at least six people were arrested and some merchandise was recovered.
In a statement issued earlier Friday, a Union Pacific spokesperson said: “Railroad robberies pose a safety threat to the public, our employees and local law enforcement officers.”
Metra trains were stopped near Kedzie while police investigated.
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