Five arrested for cargo train theft in Torrance
TORRANCE, Calif. - Five people have been arrested in Torrance after getting caught with boxes stolen off a cargo train, according to police.
Torrance police responded to the railroad tracks in the area of 190th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard around 11:30 p.m. Sunday after someone called in a tip about seeing people stealing from a rail car. When police arrived, they detained one person, then found four others.
After investigating the area, police say they found multiple train cars with the locks cut or forced open. They found several cars were missing items. Police recovered boxes near the five suspects, which contained small generators.
Cargo train theft has been on the rise recently. Union Pacific, one of the cargo rail companies that serves the area, says it saw a 160% increase in rail theft between 2020 and 2021.
Gov. Gavin Newsom visited one of the Union Pacific railways littered with trash from burglaries last month, calling the situation "unacceptable."
RELATED:
- Union Pacific urges Gascón to reconsider 0-bail policy as train theft more than doubles in 2021
- Cargo thieves stealing packages from trains in Downtown LA
- Gov. Newsom visits littered LA rail site, vows cleanup and more enforcement
The five people found at the train tracks Sunday night were all arrested for burglary, receiving stolen property and conspiracy, according to Torrance Police.
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