By Jessica Easthope
It’s not the scene of an explosion or garbage spill – but the scene of a crime.
The Union Pacific train tracks in downtown Los Angeles were just cleaned last month but once again they’re littered with thousands of boxes.
Broken down boxes are all that’s left of packages belonging to people from all over the country who might be wanting to wrap up the holiday season – with gifts still missing. Police say when these trains stop to unload they’re being raided by thieves.
The locks to the train can be easily cut and robbers tear open the boxes, take what they want and leave what they don’t, like home COVID tests that many could be desperately waiting for.
You might ask what police are doing to pump the brakes on this operation – well their hands are tied. The LAPD can’t intervene unless Union Pacific asks them for help – which they say is rare.
And it’s been happening for months and in broad daylight, people can be seen running off with bags, and Union Pacific police officers chasing down people who were rifling through the packages. USC campus police also arrested one of the suspected thieves last month, his car was filled with stolen goods from the tracks.
In a statement, Union Pacific Railroad said, “These rail crimes pose a serious safety threat to the public, our employees and local law enforcement officers. We have increased the number of Union Pacific special agents on patrol, and we have utilized and explored additional technologies to help us combat this criminal activity.”
But local law enforcement who work around these tracks say they don’t see thieves shipping off any time soon.