Vandals Target DC’s Shiny, New Bus Shelters

WASHINGTON -- More than two dozen bus stops in the District have been vandalized in the past three days.

The city has been replacing all the old bus shelters with nice new ones, but glass panels at some of the shelters have been shattered, inconveniencing Metro riders who have to step over and around broken glass and making for a messy cleanup, News4's Tom Sherwood reported.

D.C. Transportation Department spokesman John Lyle called it be pure vandalism with no political notes or other graffiti offering any motive. There are no suspects.

"Somebody just is driving along and is vandalizing them, perhaps with a BB gun or something like that out of a car window," Lyle said.

The vandalism also upset a manager at Clear Channel Outdoor, the company contracted to build, clean and maintain more than 500 shelters on city streets, Sherwood reported.

"This was a sudden eruption," Steve Ginsburg said. "This absolutely was not a normal occurrence. We could use any help anyone could give us (to identify the vandals)."

Clear Channel has a 20-year contract with the District and sells ads on the shelters to earn commissions, Sherwood reported. Normally only two or three shelters need repairs in any given month.