Train robbers open fire during freight burglary in Wild West-style shootout in California

A San Bernardino County train was under fire Monday night after bandits attempted a Wild West-style heist.

A group of suspects fired on officers with the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) in what appeared to be an effort to rob the train as it passed through the desolate Cajon Pass between the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains.

No officers or crew members were wounded in the attempted robbery. There’s no information about what the robbers were after or if they successfully stole anything.

Video footage from the scene showed multiple San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies on scene with air support. An ambulance and fire engine were also in the area.

An investigation into the robbery is ongoing.

BNSF is one of the largest railroad freight carriers in the United States. The company operates a transportation network “of 32,500 route miles in 28 states and three Canadian provinces,” according to its website.

Many of those lines are on the West Coast, with BNSF railroads spanning from San Diego to Vancouver and beyond.

Major train robberies are rare but were once very common in the late 18th century and early 19th century. But major US railroads still reported more than 75,000 theft incidents at a value of over $200 million in losses for 2025, according to the Association of American Railroads.

Cajon Pass is about 20 miles northwest of San Bernardino.

The California Post reached out to BNSF and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office for comment.

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