Several arrested after train thefts on West Side

CHICAGO — Chicago police were called to the scene of an apparent train heist at a rail yard on the city’s West Side on Friday afternoon, resulting in at least six arrests.

SkyCam 9 was over the scene near Lake Street and Lockwood Avenue in Garfield Park around 4:30 p.m. when several people could be seen pulling items from the freight train’s cars.

The group appeared to have gotten several train cars open and were pulling items from within.

Several people could also be seen walking away from the rail yard with items that were pulled from the cars.

SkyCam9 captured what appeared to be one of the offenders handcuffed in police custody around 4:54 p.m. WGN crews on the ground also spotted multiple people being taken into custody.

At around 5:30 p.m., police issued an update stating that officers remained on the scene, but said no arrests had been made.

Metra official later confirmed to WGN that around five people were in custody in connection with the incident. Authorities later bumped the total number of arrests to at least six.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Union Pacific said officials from the railroad franchise and Chicago police were responding to cargo thefts in the area.

“Rail burglaries pose a safety threat to the public, our employees and local law enforcement officers,” a Union Pacific spokesperson said.

Chicago, it is unclear how the train cars came open or what they were holding.

The incident caused some headaches for commuters during rush hour on Friday.

According to Metra officials, because of the police activity, UPW train service is temporarily suspended near Kedzie and commuters are advised to seek alternate transportation.

Visit the Metra service alerts website for updated information on service delays.

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