Man arrested for slashing tires of 36 vehicles in Vancouver

VANCOUVER Washington (KPTV) – A suspect is in custody and accused of slashing the tires of at least 36 cars in Vancouver on Saturday morning.

Bryan Southard said he spent the day in awe.

“A guy stabbed over 40 cars, who knows why,” Southard said. “I was going to get coffee and I put the car in gear, and there was this horrible noise.”

He soon realized that one of his tires had been stabbed twice while his car was parked overnight in a private parking lot near Northwest Kauffman Avenue in Vancouver.

He then saw four more cars with flat tires in the parking lot and more than a dozen walking down 36th Street.

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“I really felt violated,” Southard said. “Who would stab random people’s cars? Because tires aren’t cheap. At a time like this, when no one has money, we can barely afford gas and food, now I have to go buy a new set of tires.”

Police said they arrested a suspect, identified as Colwin Kent, 43.

Southard says he and others are now facing a huge expense.

Jessica McConnell recently moved to the neighbourhood from downtown Vancouver, where her windshield was smashed in January. She said she spent $1,200 in seven months repairing her car after an act of vandalism and is now paying to replace the tyres.

“It’s extremely frustrating and makes me want to stop living in the city of Vancouver,” McConnell said. “I thought that with our off-street parking my car would have a better chance, that’s what I get for thinking that.”

While both McConnell and Southard were able to replace their tires, Southard said he is concerned about people who might not have the means for immediate repairs.

“How do they get to work? And whose fault is it?” Southard asked.

Kent is currently being held on charges of malicious damage.

Vancouver police are asking anyone whose vehicle has been damaged to contact them.

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