Vandal smashes 15 shopfronts in just one hour as police launch appeal for suspect after causing £200k in damages
An investigation has been launched after a vandal caused £200,000 worth of damage within an hour defacing shopfronts.
A suspect was spotted in CCTV footage appearing to vandalise shops in Hitchin, North Herts in the early hours of Sunday, October 26.
Detectives said the damage, affecting stores on Bancroft, Hermitage Road and Nightingale Road, is estimated to be worth more than £200,000 in total.
Now, officers are relaunched their appeal and have urged anyone with information to come forward.
Sergeant Taz Gill, of the North Herts Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This incident saw considerable damage caused to several of our stores in Hitchin town centre.
“We want to identify the person in the CCTV footage and I would like to re-appeal to those in our community to share this video and image in an attempt to identify who this person is.
“The impact of this damage cannot be underestimated to those who simply want to earn a living in our town. Please help us to identify this person.
“You can also report information by quoting crime reference 41/90067/24.”
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In the footage, a man in dark clothes with a hood passes by the shops while scraping an unidentified ‘object’ along the storefronts.
The clip was shared by police was captured between the hours of 2am and 3am on October 26.
The hooded figure can be seen walking on the pavement before turning towards the shops and extending his arm.
He continues walking, arm extended, before cutting out of sight of the camera.