AZUSA, Calif. — Police say an 81-year-old man who they say attacked a Southern California neighborhood with a slingshot for years has been caught.
As officers looked into the case, they “learned that over the course of 9–10 years, dozens of citizens were being victimized by a serial slingshot shooter,” the Azusa Police Department said in a statement.
The man is thought to have broken windows and car windshields and come very close to hitting people with ball bearings fired from a slingshot, the statement said. There were no reports of accidents.
Police searched the man’s home in Azusa, which is about 25 miles (40 km) east of Los Angeles, and found a slingshot and ball bearings. They arrested the man on Thursday.
Azusa police Lt. Jake Bushey said on Saturday that they found out the suspect shot most of the ball bearings from his backyard.
“From what we know, there is no other reason than to cause harm,” Bushey told the Southern California News Group.
The court date for him was set for Tuesday.
