3 Men Arrested In Heist Of Moving Freight Train In Chicago

Three men are facing charges in the heist of a moving freight train after the railroad’s drone spotted them in the act, authorities said.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said officers working a joint cargo theft suppression operation with Norfolk Southern Railroad were notified at around 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 19 that the railroad’s drone spotted two people on top of a moving train near 60th Place and Stewart Avenue in Chicago.

The drone’s video also showed that two men broke into a shipping container, tossed “numerous packages” to the ground, then jumped off and fled into an alley.

Responding officers found 25-year-old Shaun Smythe and 26-year-old Marcus Moore on the 300 block of West 60th Place and took them into custody. A third suspect who was spotted on the tracks fled in a Chrysler minivan. Officers pursued the vehicle until it stopped near the 100 block of West 87th Street and arrested the driver, identified as 44-year-old Errol Miller.

All three men were charged with felony burglary. Miller was also charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding. The sheriff’s office said Miller and Moore were on pre-trial release for burglary charges at the time of their arrests. Smythe was released from custody on Dec. 20 following his initial court appearance. Moore and Miller were also ordered released on the latest charges, but remain in custody at Cook County Jail for violating their pre-trial release conditions.