Freight Train Robbed in Broad Daylight by Dozens of Scrambling Thieves

Dozens of brazen thieves swarmed a freight train in Chicago to steal as much as they could carry ... and the wild scene was all caught on camera!

The cargo theft occurred Friday afternoon on the city's West Side ... when the large group quickly ransacked as much as they could before authorities arrived.

A news chopper for local station ABC 7 happened to be in the area ... and got footage of the heist as it unfolded on the Union Pacific train.

A spokesperson for the railroad company told the news station, "the train was stopped, awaiting an interchange with a partner railroad, when thieves began opening containers."

Footage from the scene shows officers arrive ... guns drawn ... and attempt to stop some of the scumbags ... and at least six arrests have been made, per the news station.

The police investigation is ongoing ... but it sure sounds like this not the first time such a brazen train theft has occurred ... and it probably won't be the last.