Scores of residents across five communities in St James are flat out frustrated, inconvenienced and some ragingly angry after they awoke yesterday morning to see their car tyres slashed.
Residents in the Berbice Road, Fitts Village, West Terrace Gardens, Durants Development, Hoytes Terrace and Bagatelle communities had to reschedule or cancel their daily activities or spend thousands of dollars to repair or replace damaged tyres.
When the SATURDAY SUN visited the affected communities, residents were gathered in groups trying to figure out the question most wanted answered: Who would do something like this?
According to West Terrace Gardens resident DJ Champ, he would have been glad to catch the culprit.
“I would have liked to be coming in foreday morning from work and catch that culprit. This is total, total, total ignorance! And whoever did it, ignorant. This is madness for somebody to sit down and think up . . . .
“All the tyres on my van slashed! This is pure foolishness. People in the neighbourhood have to look for money that some don’t even have to replace tyres,” he said, adding: “You mean we got this robbery problem and now this problem here?”
Attorney-at-law Calvin Hope said that while he was shocked at the act, which was a “big inconvenience” to him, he was extremely concerned for the safety of the entire neighbourhood.
“When I woke up this morning, I looked out my window and saw all of the neighbours gathered talking, and this is unusual. I ran out and enquired what happened and somebody said to me ‘everybody get hit’.?So I asked that person: ‘You mean robbed?’ And the neighbour said: ‘Not robbed, everybody’s tyres were slashed’.
“Now, I didn’t look at my vehicle when I was leaving, so she told me that [and] I ran back home. When I looked, all the tyres on my vehicle were vandalised.”
Mechanic Ronald Wickham of Hoytes Village said only his personal car, of the many cars parked around his house, was vandalized. He said he had to source about $1 000 to replace the four tyres. He thanked God the damage was not worse.
“I didn’t even know what was going on until a neighbour came knocking on my door asking me if I don’t know that my car has four flats. Then, she turn and tell me that everybody’s car tyres were punctured. But as far as I can see, there is nothing I can do about this. So, I heading to buy four tyres and call it a day,” said Wickham.
Victims were offered a 25 per cent discount by the All Terrain Plus Inc., a battery and tyre company whose managing director Mark Goddard also had his company car vandalised.
