Auto vandalism spree in Springfield; 'Absurd number' of car windows shot out, police say

View Vandalism in Springfield, Jan. 9-10, 2013 in a larger map

SPRINGFIELD ? At least 30 vehicles parked on city streets throughout Springfield had windows shot out with projectiles from a pellet gun late Wednesday and early Thursday, and police suspect the same people are involved, police said.

?An absurd number of people woke up to find their car windows were shot out,? said Sgt. John Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William Fitchet.

Police received calls during the day from owners of 30 separate cars who were reporting damage.

There were also some reports of cars damaged Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, he said.

He said police suspect the same individuals are involved.

?Someone went crazy, driving all over the city,? Delaney said.

Police believe the vandalism occurred between 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday, Delaney said.

Some witnesses reported seeing a dark Ford Explorer driving away near the scene of one of the incidents. It was driven by an unknown Hispanic woman and there was an unknown Hispanic man in the passenger seat, Delaney said.

There were reports of damaged cars on Central, Dickinson, Shamrock, Wilmont, Freemont, White, Revere, Pomona, Jasper, and Pasadena streets.

Some of the locations, such as Central and White streets had multiple cars struck, Delaney said.

Most of the reports were from Forest Park, although there were others in the South End and one in Pine Point.

The sector officers who patrol the city at night have been alerted and will be on the look out for any vandalism, Delaney said.

In the meantime, police are asking the public for assistance.

People with information are asked to call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at (413) 787-6355. Those who wish to remain anonymous may text a tip via a cell phone by addressing a text message to ?CRIMES,? or "274637," and then beginning the body of the message with the word "SOLVE."

Car owners are also asked to be aware of where they park their cars overnight. Each of the cars that was hit was parked in the road, and each was damaged on either the passenger? or driver?s side window, he said.

He also asked that if anyone sees any suspicious vehicles in their neighborhood, they should make note of the license plate and then notify the police.

Source: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/01/auto_vandalism_spree_in_spring.html

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