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Mostly Cloudy Police looking for BB gun vandals
Fifteen cars, 2 storefronts damaged
Nassau County Police are investigating a series of criminal mischief incidents in several communities that occurred on March 13 and 14.
According to police, windows on 15 parked vehicles were shot out with what is believed to be a BB gun in Wantagh, East Meadow, North Merrick and Levittown, causing approximately $10,000 worth of damage. Police said that two plate glass storefront windows were also damaged, which resulted in approximately $5,000 to $6,000 worth of damage.
A white SUV, believed to be an older model Chevrolet, was seen on video at the scene of one of the incidents. Detective Lieutenant Richard LeBrun said that the SUV is being investigated for all of the incidents due to the time frame and locations in which they occurred.
Police said that if pellets from the guns hit people, there is a serious risk of injury. "They're a very small pellet," LeBrun said. "But the problem is they have velocity to them. So if you're walking around and that pellet hits you in the wrong spot of your body — yes, it could cause damage to your eye. It's going to hurt. We've had instances where people have been shot in the eye and they lose their sight, so we're very concerned about that."
LeBrun said police were still getting calls from people as they notice their vehicles have been damaged, and that the number of reported incidents is expected to rise.
Police are operating under the assumption that younger people might be responsible for the chain of incidents.
"If you looked at predictive analysis or anything like that, it appears to be the younger generation because they are out at night and they're looking for something to do," LeBrun said. "Very few times do we catch anyone over the age of 20-25 with regard to this type of crime."
Detectives ask anyone who believes they are a victim or with information regarding these crimes to contact their local precinct. First Precinct: (516) 573-6100. Second Precinct: (516) 573-6200. Seventh Precinct: (516) 573-6700.
This story was updated on Tuesday, March 15 at 3:17 p.m.
