KATY, Texas — A Texas man was arrested after being accused of slashing at least 30 neighbors’ tires.
A surveillance video recorded in the Westfield Village neighborhood in Katy captured a young man roaming from one driveway to another on a Thursday afternoon. He was seen using what seemed to be a knife to damage the tires of vehicles parked there.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said deputies arrested 22-year-old Jesus Arellano and he is facing six initial criminal mischief charges.
Residents of Westfield Village say about 30 cars were affected. The extent of the damage differed.
The man targeted different cars in the neighborhood, puncturing either a single tire on some vehicles or multiple tires on others. Moreover, there were instances where multiple cars in the same driveway fell victim to the tire vandalism.
Brothers Christopher and Jordan Moore said tires on two of their vehicles were slashed.
“I noticed that the tires of the Rams were deflated,” recounted Jordan. “Initially, I thought maybe just one tire was flat. However, upon inspection, I discovered that another tire had also been punctured.”
When he realized his passenger-side front tire was also flat, Christopher planned to take his car to get replacement tires for his father’s truck.
A video of his tire being punctured was captured on nearby surveillance.
“Wow, unbelievable,” Christopher said after watching the surveillance video. “So casual, so nonchalant, just so brazen. Ridiculous. Dude does not care.”
Friday afternoon, he replaced the tire on his vehicle, which had been on a jack in the street.
“I have to pay for the tire out of pocket,” Christopher said. “I’m a college student, in school full time. So yeah, I have to pay for my own tire now somehow.”
Elmer Garay lives a few houses down. He said he was not home at the time but got a call from the neighbor saying his tire had been slashed.
Garay put new tires on his Jeep last year and said he paid $700 per tire.
“Honestly, it’s a kid who thinks that this is a fun thing for him, I guess,” Garay said. “Entertainment. I don’t know what I can make of it. There’s nothing that could justify what his behavior is.”
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