Vandalism, Possible Hate Crime Shakes Montgomery Co. Neighborhood

Montgomery County, Md., police said the rash of vandalism in the Spencerville neighborhood is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

When Nia Benoit woke up Tuesday morning she and her family were shocked to see vicious words sprayed on the side of their pickup truck.

"Our vehicles were spray-painted and the tires were flattened and some of the neighbors had either spray paint tires flattened or both," she said.

About twenty cars were targeted, as well as a kids park and street signs.

When asked what words were painted on her vehicle, Benoit laughed nervously, and declined to say.

"I can't say it," she said. "Across the street there were swastikas and profanities." Those profanities included racial and homophobic slurs.

Neighbors spent Tuesday morning towing and cleaning up their cars, replacing the slashed tires, cleaning up the park and wondering if the attack was hatred or just a stupid teenage prank.

"It's an awful thing to do, thousands of dollars of damage and inconvenience for everybody," Benoit said.

Police believe the damage was done sometime between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. July 13. They're offering a reward for information that results in an arrest and indictment.

Listen to the complete story at wamu.org

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