OHAN CRIME ALERT – December 21, 2007

Yesterday, OHAN sent an e-mail to our neighborhood representatives concerning the return of the BB gun attacks theSouthwest Austin area experienced last year. OHAN is now in possession of additional information, so I wanted to get an alert out to the full e-mail list. Below is an APD Crimestoppers report on these incidents. Usually, the targets have been the rear windows of SUVs parked in the street or in driveways. Many OHAN member neighborhoods have experienced these attacks, but neighborhoods along Escarpment Blvd (Circle C, New Villages at Western Oaks, Legend Oaks I and II) seem to be the most affected.

What you can do:

• Park cars in garages if possible.
• If you have to park your car outside your garage, back it into your driveway. This is because front windshields are more resistant to BB and Pellet guns than rear windows.
• Report ANY suspicious activity to APD, the Travis County Sheriff’s Department and/or the Precinct 3 Constable’s office. APD has recommended that calls be placed with 911 rather than 311.
• Some neighbors have reported a “loud” full size white pickup truck (presumably with a muffler noisemaker device) driven by three white males in an area where BB gun attacks occurred. Be on the lookout for a vehicle matching this description and report it to the police if it is being operated in a suspicious manner, particularly between the hours of 11pm and 5am.
• OHAN will be setting up an e-mail account to collate reports from neighbors about these attacks and forward them to the authorities. Please send any incident reports or information on BB gun attacks to crime@ohan.org (note that this account may not be active immediately as we only began the process of setting it up today).

APD seeks help on vehicle vandalism
Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 11:37 AM
From the Austin Police Department:
Austin Police Department Northwest and Southwest detectives are seeking the public’s assistance to help identify suspects responsible for criminal mischief offenses that have occurred since August 2007 in the northwest and southwest parts of the city.

The suspects have been targeting mostly SUV-type vehicles, shattering the rear windows with what detectives believe to be a BB or pellet gun. In most cases, nothing has been stolen.

To date, there have been more than 400 reported cases in northwest and southwest Austin with the incidents occurring between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. The damaged vehicles were parked either in a driveway or on the street in front of the owner’s home.

The Austin Police Department asks residents to call 911 on any suspicious persons or vehicles during these times of the night.

Individuals with specific information about this incident or the suspect are asked to call Detective M. Gutierrez at 974-5954 for Northwest, Detective M. Feinartz at 974-8252 or Detective B. Buck at 974-4748 for Southwest or CrimeStoppers at 472-8477. CrimeStoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information. These cases remain under investigation by APD Northwest and Southwest detectives.