Some Windsor Park area residents awoke with a start to the sound of pounding on the door at around 2:45 a.m. Friday.
Among them was Toni Smith, who lives near Monterey Avenue. After she and her husband discovered it was an Oak Bay police officer determined to rouse them, they emerged from their house to find one of their vehicles had been sprayed with profane slogans in red paint.
Smith, who works for News publisher Black Press, spent much of the rest of the night with her husband cleaning off their car and that of their next-door neighbour, which was also targeted.
While incredulous at the senseless nature of the act itself, a weary smith Smith gave full credit to police for acting quickly.
“I just want to say thank you to them for being persistent in getting us up,” she said, adding that the fast action allowed them to clean the paint off before it completely dried.
By mid-morning Friday, police were aware of seven vehicles hit in the area of Monterey, Windsor, plus Transit and Currie roads, said acting Sgt. Dave Prill.
“It was quite surprising. We normally don’t get this kind of vandalism,” he said. “We get the usual tagging on buildings, but this goes beyond what we normally see. They must have just been walking and spraying.”
While much of the vandalism was sprayed freehand, Prill said, Smith’s car had what appeared to be a neatly stencilled slogan painted on it, indicating the acts may have been premeditated.
Police were still searching for a suspect at the News’ deadline. Prill stopped short of blaming youth for the damage – Friday was a pro-D day for schools and Oak Bay High’s grad night.
He did, however, say police responded Thursday to several unrelated incidents involving partying youth.
editor@oakbaynews.com
