Police arrest alleged vandal who had been terrorizing Encino neighborhood for months

Police on Friday arrested an alleged vandalism suspect who they believe has been tormenting an Encino neighborhood for months by shooting out the windows of their homes with a BB gun. 

The suspect, who has not yet been identified, was being followed by undercover Los Angeles Police Department units at around 3:30 p.m., which ended in a traffic stop on the I-405 Freeway near the Ventura Boulevard onramp. 

They were following the driver after conducting surveillance in the 5400 block of White Oak Avenue, where there were multiple reported instances of vandalism in recent weeks, police said. 

LAPD investigators say that the person has been shooting windows with airsoft guns and a pellet gun for several months, dating back to at least August. West Valley burglary detectives were finally able to track the suspect down, leading to their surveillance on Friday afternoon. 

Video from the neighborhood shows several homes with shattered and boarded up windows, which neighbors say came at the hands of the suspect. 

Edid Espinol says that some of her neighbors have even moved out of the area because of the constant unease caused by the repeat incidents. 

"It started escalating, every day was something more and more and more and then, the shooting of the BB gun was all night long," she said, referring to how the vandal seemed to intensify his efforts after they moved in several months ago.

Patty Hall, another victim, says that she can't even sleep at night because of the worry. 

"Myself and my daughter, who lives with me, we both have PTSD. Every time there's a little noise we start jumping," Hall said. "He starts stomping across his floor, then he has a blowhorn. He blows the horn and then he comes out his balcony and starts shooting at my window and then randomly out in the open."

Neighbors say that this isn't the first time the man has been arrested and that security at the condominium complex refuse to help their situation.