Draper Business Owners Say Vandals Shooting Out Windows, Causing Thousands Of Dollars In Damages
Dec 10, 2019, 8:19 PM | Updated: Dec 11, 2019, 9:56 am
DRAPER, Utah – Owners of businesses along Minuteman Drive said they’re frustrated and angry after several windows have been shot out over the last few weeks, causing tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage.
“I’m appalled that someone could actually do something like this. It really disturbs me,” said Rob Terry, a sales manager at General RV. He said that so far, they’ve had five windows shot out.
The affected businesses are located along Minuteman Drive, which serves as the frontage road on the east side of Interstate 15 in the 14200 South area.
“It happens one window per night for consecutive nights, then they stop and do it again,” Terry said. “They don’t shoot them out all at the same time. It’s almost like they are trying to taunt us or trying to taunt the police.”
Terry said all of his windows are custom-made and run about $3,500 a piece. They are double pane windows and the BBs or pellets did not make it through both windows.
He also said he won’t be able to get replacements until the end of January.
“It’s frustrating because it’s an area that’s kind of quiet,” said Sergeant Scott Adams with the Draper City Police Department.
Adams said he believes the shootings are happening overnight and a high-powered BB gun is probably being used. He said the department has stepped up patrols in the area but it’s a difficult case to crack.
Somebody is shooting out windows in Draper causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage! What police believe is happening @KSL5TV at 6 @DraperCityPD pic.twitter.com/GRsVItw3Dl
— Dan Rascon (@TVDanRascon) December 11, 2019
“We don’t have any surveillance footage, we don’t have any witnesses to give us any suspect information,” Adams said.
Bryan Green with Edge Powersports, which had four windows shot out, told KSL that they did capture some surveillance video of a truck, but it is grainy and they can’t pull it up again because of the age of their equipment.
“Looks like a small truck,” Green said. “We can see them drive by. We can see something come out the window.”
Green said he believes it’s teenage kids just out vandalizing.
“It’s a small-caliber rifle. It didn’t make it through two panes of windows,” he said. “Therefore, it leads me to believe it’s like a BB gun or pellet gun. I can’t imagine adults driving around shooting BB guns and pellet guns for fun.”
Green said the cost to replace the windows cuts into charity money they give to the community, including high school fundraising events.
“A lot of the extra funds that we have gets pumped right back into the community so when a bunch of kids come by and vandalize a business at $800 bucks a window we don’t have money for the dance team or high school football team,” he said.
Anyone with information about who may be responsible for the shootings is asked to call the Draper City Police Department at 801-575-6300.
