A section of the Union Pacific train tracks in downtown Los Angeles has been covered in thousands of crushed boxes, packages stolen from shipping containers who stop in the area to unload.
The thieves have been breaking into the cargo containers, taking packages belonging to people across the country from retailers like Amazon, REI and others.
Remaining waste, such as kits home COVID test kits, are items that thieves didn’t want or didn’t think were valuable enough to steal.
Sources told CBSLA that the locks he uses Union Pacific are easy to hack, and Los Angeles Police Department officials said they don’t respond to reports of a train robbery unless Union Pacific asks them for help. , which they said is unusual.
While CBSLA was on the scene with cameras, a person was seen running with a container used to store smaller packages, and a Union Pacific officer was seen chasing two other people who appeared to be shuffling through packages.
CBSLA also obtained video of University of Southern California campus police arresting a suspected shoplifter last month.
According to officers, the suspect’s bag was filled with stolen items taken from the train tracks.
A source with knowledge of the matter told CBSLA that Union Pacific cleared this area of footprints three months ago and again only a few 30 days ago, although the area is already full of new discarded boxes.
Another video shows the Union Pacific crews cleaning up the area on 11 December.
Around the same time, someone took a photo of boxes collapsing from the back of a train car.
CBSLA found a package e entered the tracking number information, which returned as “in transit”, saying it would arrive today.
When CBSLA called the person listed in the transaction and asked if he had recently shipped a package to Amazon, he said:
“Yeah, I mean, I sent several things back”.
Another Amazon package had the name and number of a woman in Washington.
CBSLA called her and asked him if he had recently returned any Amazon purchases and if he knew if the package had reached its destination.
“Yeah, I don’t even know what was in that box. I buy so much from Amazon and ship so much stuff I wouldn’t even know what it is,” he replied.
In a statement to CBSLA, Union Pacific said:
“Union Pacific is very concerned about the increase in cargo thefts in California, and we have taken several steps to address this criminal activity.
“These rail crimes pose a serious threat to the safety of the public, our employees, and law enforcement officials local.
“We have increased the number of Union Pacific special patrol officers and used additional agents and scanning technologies to help us combat this criminal activity. We will also continue to work with our local law enforcement partners and elected leaders.” However, law enforcement working these leads told CBSLA that they don’t see the robbers arrested any time soon.
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