A woman was caught on camera etching hundreds of words onto a car. Adrian Arambulo reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016.
A Los Angeles woman said her Thanksgiving nightmare started when a stranger broke a windshield wiper off her car and etched hundreds of words all over the vehicle over seven hours.
Surveillance cameras over the street in East Hollywood on Thursday night captured the act. In the footage, the vandal is also seen lying on and jumping on the car, denting the hood.
"I just broke down and started crying," owner Stacy Omelianoff said when she saw her car.
The vandal started late Thanksgiving night and continued inflicting the damage, which will likely cost thousands of dollars, all the way past sunrise.
"I couldn't believe it," Omelianoff said. "They were on this car working for hours."
People walked and drove by -- some even took photos -- but didn't try to stop the vandal.
"It's terrible," Omelianoff said. "This is what it comes to here. All people care about is themselves."
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The woman was arrested after a mechanic eventually called the police. Witnesses said officers struggled with the woman, who had a bag over her head because she couldn't stop spitting at officers.
Omelianoff said she was told the woman was homeless and would likely be released after a 72-hour mental evaluation.
She said her insurance may not cover the damage and her friends have set up a Gofundme page to raise money for repairs.
