At least eight victims have reported having objects thrown at them while driving in Pacific Beach over the past five months and San Diego police are searching for the vandals responsible for the crimes.
The San Diego Police Department said Friday it is investigating a series of incidents that all happened near West Mission Bay Drive and Ingraham Street between November 2018 and March 2019. In each of the eight cases, a suspect or suspects threw unknown items at moving cars.
According to police, another common theme in the crimes is the time when they happened: each took place between 9:45 p.m. and 12:10 a.m.
The cars in all eight incidents were damaged, either on their windshield, body or both. Police said those damages range from $300 to $5,000. Two of the victims suffered small cuts due to flying glass.
As of Friday afternoon, the suspects had not yet been identified by police. The SDPD said there is no description of the suspects because the area where the vandalism occurred is dark. Police are hoping someone, somewhere, knows something about the vandals and can, eventually, shed light on the case.
NBC 7 visited the area Saturday and discovered a small perch near the highway overlooking the spot where police said the incidents have been happening. Trash and debris were strewn about the perch, signaling that people had been gathering there. Some of the items spotted in the area included bricks, a paintball gun, and a soap container.
Local Michael "Lefty" Churchill was out for a walk on a path in the area Saturday – a route he often takes. He told NBC 7 he has seen people loitering at that perch and isn’t surprised something like this would happen there.
Local
Still, he said the suspect or suspects need to stop before someone is seriously hurt.
"It can be dangerous," Churchill said. "Anything – a little pebble or rock, coming off this thing – as fast as the cars are going, it’ll startle you. It may throw you off track, you know? Or damage will go right through the window."
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information can call the SDPD’s Northern Division at (858) 552-1700 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
For now, police are telling motorists to use caution while driving through that part of Pacific Beach at night and report any similar incidents to investigators. Below is a map of the area.
"I hope they catch them; I hope they stop," he added. "They’re going to hurt somebody, and they’re going to feel bad."