Drive-by vehicle vandals: Help ID suspects who targeted car lot with destructive spray

WANTED IN SEATTLE --
Seattle detectives are hoping you can help identify a crew of vandals who struck a car lot in a strange drive-by attack that was caught on camera.

Jennifer Lundquist with Wild West Autos says it's the sixth act of vandalism they've dealt with in recent years and devastating for business and people looking for a new car.

As she walked the lot to survey the damage, Lundquist said the routine wore thin a long time ago. “It was crushing. It`s hard to come into work and get your team pumped up to come in here and sell cars and have to have them spend four hours cleaning this up.

Surveillance video shows someone in the backseat of a car spraying a destructive liquid out the window as the car drives by. “They’re 15 to 20 feet out into the lane when he`s spraying this stuff,” said Ret. Det. Myrle Carner with Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound. “We feel there`s 20 to 25 vehicles that actually got sprayed. This stuff really dissolved the paint pretty fast.” It`s the same chemical used to peel material off airplanes.



Lindquist says the suspects were driving a 2017 Toyota Camry with a temporary plate: A new car used to destroy a fleet of used ones. “All the trim pieces, everything that has plastic on It, headlights, we have to order the pieces for that,” said Lindquist.

Now cars that could be deals may need to head to the dump. “It`s a devastating feeling,” said Lindquist.

So take another good look at suspect's car. You can see the suspect who hung out the back passenger side window to spray the vehicles looked to be wearing red.

If you have any information on the suspects, or the car they drove, submit a tip to Crime Stoppers anonymously by using the P3 Tips App on your phone, or by calling the hotline at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).