At least a dozen cars’ side mirrors were struck by an object wielded by a man on a bicycle in Torrance. Anastassia Olmos reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
Community members in the South Bay are hoping police identify the person who was captured on home surveillance footage striking car mirrors with an object while passing them on a bicycle.
Torrance residents said they awoke Tuesday morning to find the side mirrors of at least half a dozen cars smashed on Anza Avenue near Carson Street.
“We’ve woken up to every single mirror hit,” one Torrance resident said. “Every single mirror that way hit with a baseball bat.”
Residents impacted by the vandalism took to social media to discuss the crime. It was then that they learned the vandal struck other neighborhoods, as well.
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Similar damage reports were made on Lenore Avenue.
“I go, ‘Hey, that looks like part of my car,’” said Jim Kubeck, who lives in Torrance. “So then I come out here and then I see the mirrors all smashed.”
Kubeck’s surveillance cameras captured what appeared to be a man on a bicycle with an object in hand. Shortly after midnight, he travels through the area and strikes the vehicles.
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“We see a guy ride by on the bike real fast and we see something fly out,” Kubeck said. “So we rewound it and then we see that he's got something in his hand and he just takes a swing and swats it and the piece goes flying.”
One Torrance resident whose car was vandalized told NBC4 it will cost them at least $300 to repair it. Kubeck said he got a similar estimate.
“Just for the part through Toyota, it's going to be $400 and it's probably going to cost, you know, additional $400 to install it,” Kubeck said.
On social media, one woman in north Redondo Beach posted on social media that several cars in her neighborhood had smashed windows Tuesday morning. It’s the same areas, according to neighbors, where several tires were slashed last weekend.
“It seems like the softer we get on crime, the more it's, you know, like this is maybe a fun challenge or a game to them,” Kubeck said. “You know, nothing's going to happen.”
Police in Torrance has not responded to NBC4’s request for comment regarding any possible leads. A description of a possible suspect was not available.
The investigation is ongoing.
