SOUTHBOROUGH � Police say they may have a lead in a case in which witnesses allege a hulking, 6-foot-8-inch-tall man wearing a prosthetic leg slashed tires in a Rte. 9 parking lot during the Super Bowl.

�We do have a potential suspect,� Lt. Sean James said this afternoon. �We are waiting on witness identification.�

James said the man is not in custody. He said police would pass along further information if he is charged.

The department earlier in the day released information on its Facebook page about the crime, which happened at about 9:40 p.m. Sunday at Owen O�Leary�s Restaurant & Pub.

Witnesses told police that a customer had been refused service at the bar and had been asked to leave. Soon after, a bartender reported seeing the man in the parking lot slashing the tires of other customers.

�The suspect then left the business in a large, blue, ice cream-style truck, before officers could arrive on scene,� police wrote. �Over seven vehicles were vandalized by the suspect.�

Witnesses described the suspect as a being white, 6-feet-8-inches tall and weighing between 300 and 350 pounds. Police further described him as having �only one leg� and as talking with a southern accent.

Restaurant Manager Michael O�Brien said Monday afternoon that he had seen the man in bar before. O�Brien described him as a �big, outspoken� kind of guy who would come in once every couple months.

He said the man was an opinionated type of person but hadn't caused any problems in prior visits.

O�Brien said the man walked into the bar Sunday wearing shorts that revealed a prosthetic leg that appeared to be made of metal. He said a bartender declined to serve the man because he appeared to be slurring his words and she wasn�t sure how many drinks he�d already had somewhere else.

The man swore at the bartender but left immediately, O�Brien said, and was probably only at the bar for about 30 seconds.

A few minutes later, a bartender looked outside and saw him going from car to car in the parking lot slashing rear tires, he said.

O�Brien said when he went outside, the man hopped into his truck and sped off, nearly striking another car as he pulled onto Rte. 9.

O�Brien said the man�s truck didn�t have any markings on it indicating it was an ice cream truck. He said it looked to him like a UPS truck or other kind of service truck that had been painted a �Smurf� hue of blue.

O�Brien said police arrived about a minute or so after the man drove away. He thanked officers for calling two towing companies to help customers put spare tires on their cars.

�I�ve never seen anything like it,� O�Brien said. He said that, on account of Denver Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning�s difficulties during the Super Bowl, the vibe had been pretty good in the bar before everyone had to rush out to check their cars.

�Everyone was in a pretty good mood until then,� he said.

According to radio communications, police searched Rte. 9 and area parking lots for the truck but were unable to find it. They also passed along a description of the man and the truck to area departments as well as state police to no avail.

O�Brien � who had been working with police Monday and taking down information from patrons whose tires were slashed � said he believes the man will be caught.

�He�s not inconspicuous,� he said.

Lt. James couldn�t be reached late afternoon for information on whether the suspect being investigated had been identified by witnesses.

Those with information about the man are asked to contact Det. Sean McCarthy at 508-485-2121.

Brad Petrishen can be reached at 508-490-7463 or bpetrishen@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @BPetrishen_MWDN.