Shocking video from a Chicago news helicopter on Friday showed a group of robbers looting a freight train moments before they were confronted by police with guns drawn.
ABC Chicago’s Chopper 7 was at the scene of a group of looters smashing through a train in the South Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s west side.
CBS News reported that the loot also included televisions and flyers.
Officials say this type of cargo theft is not uncommon on railroads, but it is rarely, if ever, broadcast live on television.
Just before 4 p.m., footage emerged of scammers pulling boxes from cargo trailers on Union Pacific-owned railroad tracks. Groups climb over each other and distribute loot.
Police were eventually called to the scene and the confrontation with the robbers was broadcast live on television. Police swarmed the area with guns drawn as some suspects tried to flee in cars.
The scene was so shocking that one newscaster asked him to “step away” from the live shot as officers apparently approached the thieves, fearing the possibility of a live shooting.
Instead, the other anchor told the helicopter cameraman to “stand back” and as the scene progressed, “we can stay put.”
There were no reports of shots fired and no arrests.
Less than an hour after police and looters left the scene, ABC7 in Chicago captured more people breaking into vehicles.
Police said there was a similar break-in in August, when a freight train was broken into and multiple televisions were stolen.
“Rail robbery poses a security threat to the public, employees and local law enforcement officials,” a Union Pacific spokesperson said.
