Twenty-two people were taken into custody as part of an investigation into burglaries of commercial railroad cargo containers on tracks running through Los Angeles.
Authorities planned to discuss the results of the year-long investigation at a 3 p.m. news conference. Details about the arrests were not immediately available.
The cargo theft problem was illustrated by images showing thousands of empty boxes scattered on train tracks in East Los Angeles, where thieves targeted cargo trains. Some of the boxes stolen in November 2021 contained merchandise orders, including televisions, appliances and clothing, that were bound for customers.
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Other items were simply discarded by thieves, including a firefighters helmet that was shipped from Texas and cast aside during a train raid. NBCLA tracked down the son of the firefighter and returned his dad's helmet.
In a news release issued before the news conference, Los Angeles police said the operation involved assistance from the Union Pacific Railroad Police and Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad Police.
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