Press conference

Surveillance video of suspect

Vancouver Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the person responsible for deliberately damaging at least 78 vehicles on Vancouver’s west side over the past several months. The latest incident occurred this past weekend in the Dunbar area when several cars had their paint scratched-up.

Since the beginning of March, parked vehicles have been damaged overnight in Kitsilano, Dunbar, and Kerrisdale. Owners have reported various designs, described as “Z,” “M,” and smiling faces, etched into car paint, soft-top-roofs being slashed, and several have had their car emblems stolen.

“Our crime analysts have identified what appears to be five separate crime sprees. Property crime detectives are working on the investigation and other than purposely damaging these vehicles, there is no clear motive,” says Constable Jason Doucette, VPD. “We are working with property owners in the affected areas and are encouraging residents to report suspicious activity to 9-1-1 immediately.”

Investigators have located security footage of a person damaging a parked car on May 31 near West 12th Avenue and MacDonald. The video shows the suspect concealing his identity while purposely scratching the paint and cutting the roof of a convertible.

Detectives would like to hear from anyone with dash-cam video who was driving in the area of West 37th Avenue and MacKenzie Street between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. this past Monday.

Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to contact the investigators at 604-717-0613 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.