The Thurston County Sheriff's Ofice shared this photograph from the scene on Facebook.
Authorities say traffic in and out of Bucoda was blocked for nearly two hours Wednesday after a woman allegedly disconnected cars on a freight train, putting it at risk of derailment.
The ordeal started about 6 p.m. A 911 caller reported the train was stuck on the tracks and that a woman "detached the train," according to a Thurston County Sheriff's deputy's report.
At one point about 50 vehicles were stopped waiting to cross the tracks.
The deputy found a woman matching the caller's description walking on state Route 507. She allegedly told him she was trying to get to Tacoma, that she was on the train and she disconnected it.
The 31-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of malicious injury to railroad property, a felony, and second-degree criminal trespassing. She was scheduled to appear in Thurston County Superior Court on Thursday afternoon.
A Union Pacific engineer on the train told the deputy whoever did this "knew what they were doing." He said it caused a chain reaction in which cars disconnected in three other places, causing the air brake system to fail and putting the train in an emergency braking mode.
A BNSF police official said the train could have derailed and people on board could have been injured.
The deputy noted any emergency response to Bucoda while the train was stopped would have been delayed about 30 minutes.
