A substantial $20,000 reward is being offered in the case of a serial San Jose slingshot bandit, the reward likely being so large because the shooter keeps hitting windows at the Santa Clara District Attorney’s office.
The Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office is seeking information on a serial slingshot window-shooter who has shot at least 20 residential and office windows along the Guadalupe Freeway, causing an estimated $500,000 in damage. And this time, it’s personal. Because the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Crime Lab "has been struck eight times,” according to a none too happy press release from the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office
They’re not the only victims. According to KGO, the SAP Center and San Jose Museum of Art have also been nailed in these seemingly random attacks. KRON-4 adds that “In another instance, a woman was inside her car when her window was blown out.” According to the district attorney’s office, the suspect (or suspects) have been shooting ball bearings at the windows, generally during nighttime hours.
“We don’t know why they’re choosing the places they’re choosing, or the manner in which they’re traveling. What we do know is it’s getting worse, and we want it to stop,”Santa Clara County District Attorney investigator Michael Whittington told NBC Bay Area.
Slingshot attacks might sound like kids’ stuff, but often are not, carry serious legal penalties. Last year, a 56-year-old man committed roughly 50 slingshot attacks on Monterey car windows, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
If you have any information about the slingshot attacks, you can submit a tip anonymously (and possibly get the $20k reward) by calling the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers tip line at 408-947-STOP, or visiting SVCrimeStoppers.org.
Related: Freeway Slingshot Bandit Sentenced to 15 Years [SFist]
Image: Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office