Residents of the Riverside community in Baltimore found their Thanksgiving holiday disrupted by vandalism that left several vehicles undrivable.
Along Barney Ave., at least six cars had all four tires slashed, totaling 20 damaged tires. This incident marks the first time vehicles in this neighborhood have been targeted in such a manner, residents said.
One victim’s roommate discovered the damage as he was preparing to leave for a Thanksgiving gathering. “He was leaving for Thanksgiving yesterday and then a couple of minutes later he came in and was very upset,” Griffith said.
Both of Griffith’s roommates returned to find their tires slashed, leaving them frustrated and questioning the motive behind the crime. “What’s the point, you know? Why are you doing that?” Griffith said.
Baltimore Police have yet to make any arrests and currently have no suspect descriptions.
Tim, a longtime resident of the area, expressed his dismay over the recurring vandalism. “The first thing I felt was bad,” he said, noting that his own car had been vandalized in the same neighborhood. “It’s a bummer that it’s happened, what, twice in the span of two months, something like that.”
In September, a similar rash of car vandalism occurred on the same block, with vehicles having their windows smashed. No arrests were made in those cases either.
Despite being spared this time, Griffith acknowledged the unsettling nature of the situation. “It is scary, of course. You know you never want to walk out and have to go to work or something, and you see your tires slashed. It’s just, it could happen to anybody.”
For Tim, who has lived in the area for 14 years, the repeated incidents have prompted him to reconsider his future in the city. “Those are the things you have to take into consideration if you’re thinking about staying in the city and raising a family, or moving out to the suburbs,” he said.
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