Tuesday, July 13, 2004 | 9:21 a.m.
At least 30 Desert Shores residents woke up Monday to find their car tires punctured and gas siphoned, an amount of vandalism that Metro Police said is unusual for the area.
Metro Police began to receive vandalism reports from residents on Angel Fire Street, Bear Valley Street, Sheltered Valley Drive and Squaw Valley Avenue early Monday morning, Metro Police spokesman Jose Montoya said. Police believe the tires were punctured with a knife, pick or screwdriver, but no suspect had been identified as of Monday afternoon, he said.
"This is not common, especially not in that area and with that number of victims out there," Montoya said. "We don't know if it was teens, adults or how many."
Montoya said Desert Shores is typically a very quiet neighborhood where very little crime is reported.
That is what Michael Navarro, 30, believed when he first moved to a house on Bear Valley Street five days ago. Then Sunday night a tire on his Toyota truck was punctured with what he believes to be an ice pick.
"I was lucky because they only hit one of my tires, and I had a spare tire in the back," Navarro said.
La Petite Academy, a day-care center in the 2100 block of Harbor Island Drive, was left stranded Monday as employees worked to have nine tires on three of the center's four vans replaced. As of this morning, the tires had been replaced but a broken windshield had not, director Carla Smith said.
The tires cost the center $1,000, Smith said.
La Petite Academy cares for 140 children on a daily basis, 40 of whom ride the 13-passenger Ford vans every day. she said. The center also regularly schedules outings, but did not have any planned Monday.
"The biggest hardship is that we have children to transport," Smith said. "When you come in on Monday morning and three of your vehicles are inoperable, it's difficult. We have to change everything."
Shelley Anderson, 56, learned from a neighbor Monday morning that all four tires of her husband's new Honda CR-V were hit. The couple had not yet made their first payment on the car.
Anderson said her insurance would only cover $100 for tire replacements.
"At least we got to meet a lot of our neighbors because of this," she said.
Anyone with information about Wednesday's vandalism should call Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555.
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