Police Arrest Suspect In Wave Of Broken Car Windows Across Arlington

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County Police arrested a Maryland man in connection with a weeklong vandalism spree that left dozens of vehicles with shattered windows, police said Friday afternoon.

Luis Tavares Sanchez Manuel, 37, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, was charged with 12 counts of destruction of property and is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility. Police said additional charges against him are anticipated.

Late last week, police began investigating a series of acts of vandalism where the windows of parked cars were broken by someone using a BB gun. During the days that followed, additional vehicles had their windows shattered during overnight hours in various neighborhoods across the county.

During their investigation, police spoke with witnesses and reviewed crime scene evidence that led to the identification of a possible suspect vehicle. On Thursday night, a patrol officer saw the vehicle traveling on S. Walter Reed Drive.

The driver went into a business in the 200 block of S. Glebe Road, where officers took him into custody as he was getting out the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, a BB gun was recovered, police said.

Between Oct. 21 and Oct. 27, there were reports of 81 vehicles with damaged windows, ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow.

The ACPD said the wave of vandalism remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s tip line at 703-228-4180, or ACPDTipline@arlingtonva.us. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

RELATED:

• 54 Vehicle Windows Shattered In Arlington In New Wave Of Vandalism
• Vandals Smash Nearly 2 Dozen Vehicle Windows Across Arlington: Police