Des Moines police
call car vandalism wave
'hate crimes'
By AP from woi-tv.com
on the Web, June 27, 2006
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Police in
Des Moines are calling a recent spate of car vandalism hate crimes.
Authorities say vehicles in an area northwest of the city's downtown have been
targeted by vandals who plastered them with photographs of nude men. Those
incidents followed several reports in the southeast part of the city of vehicles
with the outline of male genitals etched in the paint.
Police do not know whether the crimes are linked.
Police have also received reports of male genitals scratched into the doors,
hoods and trunk lids of cars in another neighborhood. They've also found
profane words and racist remarks.
Police Sergeant Todd Dykstra says the messages were directed mostly at Latinos
and Jews. He says someone used a nail or a key to etch the words into the
cars' paint.
He says the department is treating both incidents as hate crimes.
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