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Vandals Defecate On, Disable Brooklyn Park Buses

BROOKLYN PARK (WCCO) -- Four school buses parked outside Prairie Seeds Academy in Brooklyn Park were vandalized overnight and some students were left stranded. Now, some parents believe it's connected to the success of the school's soccer team.

Drivers discovered the vandalized buses at around 5 o'clock Tuesday morning after a quick inspection.

"The radio went off this morning, saying there were problems with the buses," said principal Choua Yang.

NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Edgar Linares Reports

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The hour-long attack on the buses was captured on video. The video shows the silhouette of three people opening the hoods of buses, cutting cables and hoses.

Yang says the vandals also forced open some fuse boxes on the buses and ripped out handfuls of wires, so some buses wouldn't start.

"On one bus, they poured a container of antifreeze on the seats and floor. They left a yucky mess," added Yang.

On another bus, someone defecated and smeared feces all over the windows and seats.

The charter school notified parents and asked if they could drive their students in. Some students could not get a ride and stayed home for the day.

The soccer coach's car was also vandalized, which is leading some to believe the vandalism might be related to the soccer team's success.

The soccer team is made up of international students, Hmong and African, who have done well in the state tournament. Some question if the players are allowed to play.

"What the state of Minnesota high school league basically is doing is checking to make sure students are qualified to play," said Yang.

Police say they will wait until their investigation is complete before determining what they have on their hands.

"We don't have any information right now that leads us in one direction or another in terms of whether or not it's biased motivated, whether or not it's just a prank gone bad, whether or not it's just juveniles out for Halloween taking things too far," said Brooklyn Park Police Lt. Todd Milburn.

Police say this is not the first time buses have been vandalized at Prairie Seeds Academy. About a month ago, two juveniles were given citations for trespassing.

Yang says they decided one month ago to install a fence to protect their buses from vandals. Minor damage had been done to them in the in the past, but nothing like this.

Brooklyn Park Police are investigating the incident.

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