Brutal bandits loot trains in Los Angeles every day | Bizarre

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Formerly the stagecoaches in the Wild West, now the freight trains in Los Angeles: thieves loot the valuable contents of the containers on the tracks. Union Pacific is therefore faced with a wave of robberies. Thousands of empty boxes lie along the railroad tracks in LA, silent witnesses of the daily robberies.




Railroad operator Union Pacific connects the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, two of the busiest ports in the world, with the interior. But due to congestion on the tracks and lack of space at the transfer point in downtown Los Angeles, trains have to slow down or stand still for extended periods in the highly populated area.

Because the track is barely shielded from the immediate vicinity, the trains are easy prey for the brutal crooks who attack the containers with bolt cutters. According to Union Pacific, at least 90 containers per day are broken open on the railway.

An aerial view of the infamous railroad, with the shunting yard at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles in the background. (14/01/2022) © AFP

The bandits break open the shipping containers easily, and can therefore be picky. They mainly target valuable parcels from online stores or UPS. Anything that doesn’t yield enough is immediately thrown away. That’s why both the railroad tracks and the surrounding alleyways in downtown LA are littered with empty boxes and less valuable products. From corona rapid tests to fishing hooks. But even those are not safe for strangers: people scurry along the track looking for things they can use or sell.

People loot the broken open containers on the trains that are stationary in downtown Los Angeles.
People loot the broken open containers on the trains that are stationary in downtown Los Angeles. © AFP

Union Pacific has its own railroad police, but says it can’t do without the help of agents in LA. According to the company, they do too little against the robbers who target the trains. In a statement, they said that “Even if the thieves are caught, they are released within 24 hours after paying a small fine. They even bluff to the police that there will be no consequences for them after all.”

However, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) says they can only intervene on and around the track if signaled by Union Pacific Railroad Police. That rarely happens, according to LAPD.

Broken open containers on the stationary train on the track in downtown Los Angeles.
Broken open containers on the stationary train on the track in downtown Los Angeles. © AFP

At the end of November, the track was already cleaned up by Union Pacific. But the thousands of boxes littering the track make it clear that the robberies continue unabated. Meanwhile, thousands of Americans wait in vain for parcels that will never reach them.

View more photos of the rail robbery here

A train passes the thousands of empty boxes along the track.
A train passes the thousands of empty boxes along the track. © AP

Tens of thousands of empty boxes lie along the track, silent witnesses of the robberies that take place every day.
Tens of thousands of empty boxes lie along the track, silent witnesses of the robberies that take place every day. © AP

An aerial image clearly shows how many boxes are lying along the track.
An aerial image clearly shows how many boxes are lying along the track. © AFP

As a train approaches, a person walks with 'found' goods around the track.
As a train approaches, a person walks with ‘found’ goods around the track. © AFP


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