A mob ransacked a cargo train Friday on Chicago’s West Side, and several people among the group were arrested as a result.
Video footage shows the incident when the mob swarmed a cargo train in South Austin and carried away boxes of merchandise, ABC 7 reported, noting the heist went on for about an hour until police officers arrived at the scene.
A witness named Princess Shaw said she watched several people break into the freight cars. Fox 32 reported that six people were arrested following the burglary.
“This is wild!” a person from behind the camera exclaimed while filming the incident. “They stealing!” she added. Police said some of the stolen items included air fryers, other appliances, and what appeared to be flat screen televisions.
Video footage shows the mob putting boxes into the back of vehicles at the scene. According to the Fox report, about 30 people were involved in the incident:
A spokesperson for Union Pacific later explained that “the train was stopped, awaiting an interchange with a partner railroad, when thieves began opening containers.”
Per the ABC 7 report, police officers who were called to the scene drew their weapons as at least one of the vehicles sped away.
The mob’s activity caused passenger traffic on the line to come to a halt, according to Fox 32:
“The railway is no stranger to these type of freight cargo thefts. It was the second time in a few months people allegedly broke into cargo trains on the train route,” the ABC 7 article said.
Union Pacific eventually took over the investigation and said some of the merchandise involved had been recovered, per the outlet.
It is important to note that at least 21 people were shot and five of them died October 4 into early Sunday in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s (D) Chicago, Breitbart News reported.
