On the evening of January 22 through to the early morning of January 23, 2009, there were numerous reports from citizens on Spruce Avenue, Willow Avenue, Park Avenue and Hancock Avenue regarding their vehicles having been vandalized some time during the night. Tires had been slashed. A Takoma Park Police Department investigator has been assigned to these cases. At this time, there is no suspect information. There does not seem to be any specific pattern to the type of vehicle vandalized, or whether the vehicles were targeted for any common purpose, i.e., political affiliation, beliefs, etc. Most vehicles were parked on the street, however, some were parked in driveways. The instrument used to slash the tires appears to be a razor type knife. For most of the vehicles that were damaged, it involved the tires that faced the street.
There were also five more reported vandalized vehicles from citizens on Circle Avenue and Elm Avenue that occurred during the evening of January 23 through to the early morning of January 24, 2009. The incident on Elm Avenue involved a baseball bat to break out the rear window. It cannot be confirmed at this time whether these incidents are related to those of January 22-23, 2009. However, as with the prior ones, the instrument used to slash the tires appears to be a razor type knife.
Detectives continue to investigate the vandalism to vehicles. The neighborhood has been canvassed and many interviews conducted, however, to date, no new information has been developed.
If you have any information regarding these vandalisms, please contact the police department at 301-270-1100. Parents, if you have a child who has information that could assist in this investigation, and that child would like to remain anonymous, you may make a phone call on his/her behalf to the lead investigator, Det. Mitchell, at 301-891-7111.
As we receive further information, we will update you.
Posted by Plevy at January 30, 2009 03:12 PM