Miami Standard – Arizona authorities arrested two suspects on Thursday in connection with a series of freight train robberies that targeted Nike shoes.

The arrests come amid an ongoing investigation into at least 10 similar heists that have taken place in the Mojave Desert over the past year, resulting in the theft of millions of dollars’ worth of sneakers.

The Hualapai Nation Police Department conducted a traffic stop at 2:40 a.m. on a maroon Chevy Tahoe believed to be linked to the robberies.

Officers detained the driver, a man from Mexico, while eight other individuals fled the vehicle. Nearby, police discovered stolen Nike sneakers, further connecting the suspect to the crimes.

During the same investigation, officers stopped a white Toyota 4Runner for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. As they approached, they observed what they described as evidence of criminal activity related to the train heists.

When asked to exit the vehicle, the female driver initially complied but then attempted to flee, striking a patrol officer in the process. Fortunately, the officer was not injured.

The woman led police on an 80-mile high-speed chase before crashing in a construction zone near the Arizona-California state line. Her vehicle hit a guardrail, ejecting her from the car. She sustained minor injuries and was transported to Valley View Medical Center in Mohave Valley, Arizona, for treatment.

Both suspects were booked into the Mohave County Adult Detention Center and are facing charges related to the train robberies.

Authorities also confirmed that both individuals were in the U.S. illegally. The investigation into the broader network of train thefts remains ongoing.

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