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Brazen Thieves Caught Looting Freight Train On Chicago’s West Side

(Screenshot/CBS Chicago)

Several individuals scaled onto the Union Pacific tracks in Chicago and plundered electronics from a parked freight train on Friday.

The incident unfolded in broad daylight early Friday afternoon when a group accessed the tracks and forcibly entered the boxcars of a freight train that had been securely locked, according to CBS Chicago. The looters walked away with TV and air fryers, carrying away their heist for hours even as police arrived on the scene, CBS Chicago reported.

Local residents promptly alerted the police and upon arrival the officers observed multiple suspects carrying away the stolen goods and loading them into nearby parked vehicles, CBS Chicago reported. Torn boxes could be seen scattered on the ground.

Despite the intervention of Chicago Police, Union Pacific Police and Metra Police, individuals continued to access the tracks by climbing the embankment at the area, the outlet reported. It took approximately an hour for Union Pacific Police to clear the tracks and restore order, however, the theft also impacted public transportation after Union Pacific West Metra trains halted due to the ongoing police activity. (REATED: Video Shows Apparent Robbers Crash Through Ceiling During $150,000 Heist)

“UPW train service is temporarily suspended due to ongoing police activity near Kedzie. Metra encourages customers to seek alternate transportation at this time. Updates will be provided as information becomes available,” Union Pacific West Metra said in a statement.

This brazen act of theft in Chicago seems to be part of a broader trend of bold daytime robberies across the country as similar criminal activities have been reported elsewhere, including a daylight jewelry store robbery in California. Twenty individuals raided a jewelry store in California and carried out a jewelry heist.