Richmond Police are searching for the person responsible for slashing tires on at least a dozen cars around the Church Hill neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. Not just any cars, though — Subarus appear to be the sole target of this asshole’s wrath.
The slashings reportedly occurred overnight, early Sunday morning from what authorities can gather. Police have shared video of a suspect recorded by a doorbell camera; they describe him as male with a beard, baseball cap, black gloves and eyeglasses. In the footage, courtesy of WTVR CBS 6, they can be seen hitting the two right tires of a parked Crosstrek.
Although all of the vehicles tagged in the slashing spree aren’t known, a WWBT NBC 12 report shows a prior-gen Forester as well as a newer Outback among those damaged. One commenter on the Richmond subreddit stated that they counted 18 affected Subarus in the neighborhood, and that the cars “varied in model, color and age,” ranging from SUVs to sedans.
Of all the petty acts of vandalism, tire slashing is a pretty senseless and shitty one to engage in. One Forester owner told a WWBT reporter that he’d planned to take his disabled wife to doctor’s appointments the next day. Setting aside medical emergencies, maybe you’re unable to get to work and miss a day’s pay or more if it takes a while to get new rubber.
It’s also worth noting that whether or not your insurer will cover a new set of tires to replace slashed ones depends on the type of policy you have, as CarInsurance.com explains. If you pay for comprehensive coverage — which would include theft and vandalism — your insurer will probably pony up at least some of the cost, less any wear and tear that might’ve been present on the damaged tires in the first place. But if you have only basic or minimum liability coverage, insurance won’t help you.
As of Monday, Richmond Police were going door to door to find any Subarus that had been damaged but were unaccounted for; they’re also looking to retrieve any footage that may assist the investigation. If you have anything to share, you can contact the department from this page.