6 Teens Arrested in Derailment Attempt
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NEWHALL — Six Santa Clarita Valley teenagers were taken into custody for attempting to derail a Union Pacific train, authorities said Wednesday.
The boys, ages 13 to 16, hung a cinder-block tied to a rubber hose from the Via Princessa bridge overpass Feb. 7, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Santa Clarita station.
The train engineer saw the block hanging at eye level and halted the train to inspect the tracks, the Sheriff’s Department said. The engineer then found a metal bar across the tracks.
“I think it was just some kids messing around,” Sgt. Richard Larue said. But “anything lying across the track like that . . . could lead to train derailment.”
The youths also vandalized several new homes near the bridge, the Sheriff’s Department said, causing an estimated $7,000 in damage.
The youths were arrested two days after the train incident, Larue said.
One boy was in detention at Sylmar Juvenile Hall on Wednesday and the other five were released to their parents, he said.
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