Expand / Collapse search
☰

Five arrested after drone captures Chicago railyard burglary, sheriff's office says

By Cody King
Published  December 12, 2025 5:20pm CST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 32 Chicago

The Brief

    • A railroad drone spotted three people stealing boxes from a Norfolk Southern railyard in Chicago on Dec. 5, leading officers to a minivan where five suspects were taken into custody.
    • Officers recovered a touchscreen monitor and other boxes tied to a burglarized cargo container; the minivan driver briefly tried to flee, nearly causing a crash.
    • Four suspects face burglary and trespassing charges, while a fifth was charged with misdemeanor trespassing.

CHICAGO - Five people are facing charges after a drone spotted them burglarizing a cargo container at a Chicago railyard, authorities said.

What we know:

The incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. Dec. 5 at the Norfolk Southern railyard in the 4000 block of South Ashland Avenue.

Cook County sheriff’s police were working a joint operation with Norfolk Southern Railroad Police to combat cargo theft when a railroad-operated drone detected three people removing boxes from the railyard, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

The drone tracked the individuals as they carried the boxes to a minivan parked near Pershing Road and Wolcott Avenue. The group then got inside the vehicle.

Officers tried to stop the minivan, but the driver attempted to flee and nearly caused a head-on crash with a squad car, authorities said.

The driver eventually complied with officers' commands to exit the vehicle. Five people were inside the minivan, and all were taken into custody, according to the sheriff’s office.

Inside the vehicle, officers found a box containing a touchscreen monitor and stand that matched boxes stored in the burglarized cargo container, police said. Additional boxes were found near Wolcott Avenue.

Charges filed :

Four people were charged with burglary and a misdemeanor count of trespassing on railroad right-of-way:

  • Marquist Bucker, 29, of Chicago
  • Lamont Davis, 18, of South Holland
  • Elijah Jackson, 20, of Calumet City
  • Raymond Russell, 33, of Chicago

All four were released from custody after their initial court appearances on Dec. 6.

A fifth suspect, Dazia Lige, 22, of Chicago, was charged with misdemeanor trespassing on railroad right-of-way.

The Source: The information in this article was provided by the Cook County Sheriff's Office. 

Crime and Public SafetyNews