6 days ago
Federal Hill residents voice concerns after dozens of cars and businesses vandalized
Calls for accountability and a stronger public safety response are growing in Baltimore's Federal Hill after a weekend wave of vandalism left dozens of residents and several businesses dealing with costly property damage.
Jen Covino, the Public Safety Chair of the Federal Hill Neighborhood Association, said at least 55 vehicles and three businesses were damaged. It is unknown whether all of the vandalisms are connected to the same suspects.
"We need more police officers and more patrols in the city," said Federal Hill business owner Han Kim.
"And leave taxpayers questioning why I am paying taxpayer dollars to the city of Baltimore if I am not guaranteed emergency services in public safety where I live," Covino added.
New surveillance video from the Federal Hill Cleaners on Charles Street shows the front glass door being shattered on Sunday morning.
"So it happened Sunday morning, early morning, around 4:15 a.m. I checked my camera," owner Han Kim said.
Cameras were rolling inside the cleaners when three teens seen walking by the business tried to yank on the locked door. One teen kicked the door and shattered the glass.
Kim says he's spoken with other victims to see what these teen vandals were trying to steal.
"Very tiny things, like water or gum or quarters, or something like that, so they just wanna have fun or something like that," Kim said.
Covino said that when she woke up Sunday morning to see what her neighbors were going through, it added stress to their daily lives by way of unexpected costs.
"I felt sad to see a number of my neighbors wake up Sunday morning and look, you know, for companies to replace their glass. Most of these folks are gonna be paying probably $1,000 if their deductible doesn't cover it," Covino said.
She told WJZ that more than 50 vehicles on her block received property damage this past weekend.
"A number of my neighbors on this block have been victims of violent crime, particularly physical assault," Covino said. "We've had armed robberies happen on the street right in front of my former house over there."
