PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles police are searching for the vandals who spray-painted blue and silver lines on the sides of at least 20 vehicles in a west Port Angeles neighborhood earlier this week.
Deputy Chief of Police Brian Smith said the cars and trucks were tagged Monday night in a trail that led from the 800 block of West Sixth Street to the 1100 block of West Seventh Street.
“The aggregate of the crime puts it at the felony level,” Smith said.
Police discovered 16 spray-painted vehicles in the area when they investigated a report of a suspicious person at 8:56 p.m.
One witness told police of seeing three people running from the area toward Shane Park.
Police saturated the area but did not find anyone.
Police received four reports of car vandalism in the same neighborhood Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, four vehicles in the 500 block of West 11th Street were each reported to have one slashed tire. It is unknown if the punctured tires were related to the spray-painting, Smith said.
Smith said it is unusual to have so many vehicles vandalized in such a concentrated area in a short amount of time.
“If someone knows something, we’d like to hear from them,” he said.
Those with information can phone Officer Trevor Dropp at 360-417-4545 or North Olympic Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
Crime Stoppers pays up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest with the filing of felony charges. Callers can stay anonymous if they wish.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.