ANCHORAGE – Three people are in custody following a spree of vehicle vandalism throughout Anchorage.
Police arrested Elijah Dutton, 19, and Evan Young, 20, and charged them with 25 counts of third-degree criminal mischief. Dutton was also charged with one count of reckless driving, according to court documents. The third suspect is a juvenile, police said.
According to charging documents, the trio used an aluminum bat to hit more than 50 cars. Damage ranged from broken side-view mirrors to shattered windshields.
Shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday, multiple calls were made to police dispatch describing what sounded like glass breaking. People reported their vehicle windows had been broken at homes in the Meadow Street area off Brayton Drive, police said. When authorities arrived to the area, they discovered dozens of vehicles with smashed windows.
Jeremiah Henry said he heard the suspects around 1 a.m. on Medfra Street in Fairview.
“I heard the sound of glass breaking,” Henry said.
When he went outside, he says he saw a young man swinging what looked to be a baseball bat.
“I got a good look of the vehicle and called police,” Henry said.
Police were able to track down the vehicle in Midtown and took the three suspects into custody. Dutton and Young face up to five years in prison or a $50,000 fine.
Police continue to receive vandalism reports and know of at least five areas in town affected. They believe there could be another vehicle of suspects involved.
“There is the potential that there could be other suspects involved or another vehicle involved just because of how many vehicles were hit in such a short amount of time and such a variety of locations,” said police spokeswoman Jennifer Castro. “So that’s something that police are looking at and considering as well.
Police are asking anyone with information to call dispatch at 786-8900. People can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 561-STOP or by going online.
-Bonney Bowman, Dave Detling and Hope Miller contributed reporting to this story.