An 81-year-old man is said to have harassed his neighbors in California for decades by shooting steel balls at them from a slingshot. He has now been arrested.
According to police in California, an 81-year-old man has been arrested who is said to have been tyrannizing his neighborhood for years by shooting steel balls from a slingshot at his neighborhood in Azusa. According to the BBC, the accused, Prince K., is said to have broken windows and in some cases narrowly missed people.
The Azusa Police Department said in a statement on Instagram that Prince K.’s arrest marks the end of a “lengthy investigation” and the end of the “quality of life issue” that has plagued residents for nearly a decade. King pleaded not guilty at his court appearance on Tuesday.
The arrest took place after his house in the affected area was searched. “During the search, steel balls and a slingshot were found in his apartment,” police said. The incidents occurred over a period of nine to ten years, during which “dozens of citizens were targeted by a serial slingshot shooter.”
Although a few incidents have been reported over the years, Corporal Benjamin Cypher of the Azusa Police Department told the New York Times that “several reports have accumulated over the last few months,” allowing police to finally narrow the problem down to a specific home and begin surveillance.
“We are not aware of any particular motive other than simple malicious damage to property,” the Azusa Police Department lieutenant told local media, according to the BBC. According to the New York Times, King was charged with vandalism and released without bail until his next court date on June 17. He was banned from approaching the neighborhood for the time being.
Residents were relieved after years of incidents. “I often left the house and found small blank cartridges on my doorstep,” one resident told the US news channel NBC. “I’m very happy that the person was caught.”
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