Three men are facing felony charges after high-tech drone surveillance caught them looting a moving freight train in broad daylight on Chicago’s South Side.
The incident occurred around 6:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 19. Officers with the Cook County Sheriff’s Community Safety Team were conducting a joint operation with Norfolk Southern Railroad to crack down on cargo theft.
During the operation, a railroad drone spotted two men on top of a moving train near 60th Place and Stewart Avenue.
The aerial footage captured the pair breaking into a shipping container and tossing several packages onto the ground before jumping off the tracks into a nearby alley.
Police quickly moved in and arrested Shaun Smythe, 25, and Marcus Moore, 26, in the 300 block of West 60th Place.
A third suspect, Errol Miller, 44, was seen on the tracks before fleeing in a Chrysler minivan.
Following a police pursuit, Miller was taken into custody near the 100 block of West 87th Street.
All three men face felony burglary charges.
Miller received an additional charge for aggravated fleeing and eluding.
Records show that both Miller and Moore were already on pre-trial release for previous burglary charges at the time of this incident.
While all three were granted release on the new charges during their Dec. 20 court appearance, Moore and Miller remain in Cook County Jail for violating the conditions of their prior cases.
