Caught On Video: Vandal Keys Cars In Atwater Village
ATWATER VILLAGE (CBSLA.com) — A vandal who has literally keyed in on two streets in Atwater Village, has been marking up cars for several years and has caused several thousands of dollars in damage.
The two streets are Edenhurst and Brunswick, according to fed up residents.
KCAL9's Serene Branson talked to homeowners who said their cars were brazenly keyed -- often while sitting in their driveways.
In at least one incident, the resident got a good look at the suspect via surveillance video.
Said the resident, "Our block has been getting hit. Our neighbor's car was keyed about six months ago, so my husband installed a security camera. On May 1, just after 2 a.m., our cars got keyed and the vandal was caught on our video. We've filed a police report and talked to all the neighbors."
The resident's husband, named Tony, posted the video on YouTube.
Branson spoke to Tony. "I woke up in the morning, saw it happened. I looked on the video and there it was."
On the video, you see the alleged vandal taking a sharp object -- with two hands -- and running down the length of one car. You then see him walking back and digging the object into the hood of another car.
Tony said, "He really had some anger in him, seemed like. He dug in really deep."
Residents say the vandal had hit at least 20 cars and up down the tree-lined streets. The damage to Tony and his wife's vehicles alone is $4,500.
Another resident told Branson her red Jaguar has been hit twice. "It was heartbreaking. Really heartbreaking. Nobody understands him. What's going on?," says Rhonda Spearman-Washington.
Spearman-Washington says the second time, the vandal didn't just key the vehicle, he left doodles. "From the front fender to the back."
Tony believes the man comes into their neighborhood on bicycle -- officials believe the suspect is local to the area.
No one in the neighborhood has recognized the man. Tony and his neighbors are hoping someone will recognize the man from the video.
Officers with the LAPD's Northeast Division say if you recognize the man in the video, to give them a call.
