BILLINGS — On early Thursday morning, numerous vehicles and windows were broken after an overnight vandalism spree from a group of juveniles.
Billings police say three teens were apprehended, ages 14, 15, and 16, and so far, cases have been reported on the north side, downtown, and in the Heights. The extent of the damage and total number of cases have not been determined.
Credit: Chad Barnett
Lynn Angwick lives near North Park and woke up to the sound of smashing glass and loud pounding during the early hours of the night.
“It was about 3:45 in the morning. I heard a big crash, and it was an unusual crash,” said Angwick.
The teens were attempting to break the windows of his car but were unsuccessful. Instead, they broke two windows of his camper, one that he had just bought several weeks ago.
“It’s kind of sad, you know. I’m disillusioned here,” said Angwick. “I’m just discouraged with the way the events are going with kids that are running around our city.”
Near Pioneer Park, another resident, Jaron Gilbert, was startled to find the front window of her car shattered. The vandals had only stolen a charger out of her vehicle, but the driver-side window was beyond repair.
“My neighbors were outside and they had said that they saw a car skirt off when they stepped outside Then I’d realized that my window was all broken into and busted, so that sucked,” said Gilbert.
The damages seem to be random and across different parts of town. The teens allegedly took aim at the Tire Rama Interstate Manufacturing on 409 N. 25th St. as the front windows were all broken. Another resident on Clark Avenue heard her dogs barking outside before running outside to see vandals running off.
“I saw what looked like there was two kids, one in a blue sweatshirt, one in a white. There was one in my neighbor’s yard hopping the fence here,” said Payton Swan. “I just saw them just pockets full, running down the street like, oh, you probably shouldn’t be doing what you’re doing.”
As the suspects have been apprehended, the damages have already been done. The victims were frustrated by the acts, with many blaming a lack of parenting.
“It seems like a really lack of responsibility of like, how can you not know your kids running around? Heights, South Side, north side, downtown, all over the place, breaking into people’s cars and you don’t see that they’re coming home with new fancy things?” said Swan.
“What are you doing to get a kick out of destroying other people’s property? The worst part about it is those kids don’t even realize it’s their parents who are liable for all this stuff now,” said Angwick. “These kids are running around at three in the morning, they’re only 14, 15 years old. That’s pretty sad.”
Gilbert said she is glad it was just a window and not an injury but is still left wondering the motive.
“I’m just grateful that nothing important got stolen. I’m just also glad none of us, like, got hurt or anything or none of them got hurt because obviously still don’t want kids getting hurt, but why did they have to break a bunch of stuff?” said Gilbert.
Billings police says to contact dispatch if you have a vehicle that was vandalized, had windows broken, or items stolen.
