3 suspects arrested following train robbery, 3 others on the run

SELIGMAN, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) — Police in Arizona say three people are in custody after apparently robbing a train before being found by law enforcement.

The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said workers on a BNSF train near Seligman, located 70 miles west of Flagstaff, called 911 before midnight Friday. The workers told authorities they were robbed by people in a white box truck.

A deputy arrived while the burglary was still in progress.

The truck driver and another driver of another vehicle headed west on Interstate 40, followed by the deputy, the sheriff’s office said.

The deputy then waited for support from several agencies.

Officials said the deputy continued to follow the suspects for miles before authorities attempted to stop the truck in Kingman, located about 67 miles west of Seligman. However, the driver did not stop.

Officials said they used spike strips twice to force the truck driver to stop. They said the driver crossed the center reservation before merging into oncoming traffic.

A police officer then used a PIT maneuver, which stopped the truck.

The driver tried to flee but was quickly arrested, the sheriff’s office said.

Another vehicle involved in the heist was chased for “several miles” until five people parachuted out and ran into the desert, officials said.

Two of these suspects were arrested. Authorities said three of the six suspects remained at large.

Authorities have not released any names of the suspects and it is unclear what exactly was taken on the train.

The investigation is ongoing.

The sheriff’s office said the number of train thefts has “skyrocketed” nationwide over the past year and estimates that millions of dollars’ worth of goods have been stolen as a result.

“It seems to be a trend now. It’s becoming more and more common and I think it’s obviously a huge problem,” said Scott Jones, Arizona State Legislative Director for the SMART Transportation Division.

In the second quarter of this year, cargonet.com reports that 771 train theft incidents were reported across the country, an increase of 33% compared to the same period in 2023.

Jones believes that the increase in train robberies is partly explained by the reduction in the number of railway police officers and the increase in the length of trains.

“It’s only going to get worse until they hire more police, I believe, shorten these trains so they can police them coming in and out of their stations and don’t park them at the middle of the desert,” Jones said.

A spokesperson for BNSF, the company that owns the train victim of the weekend burglary, said they now have more train crews than this time last year.

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