Last week, police arrested an 81-year-old man from Southern California, described as a “serial slingshot shooter,” suspected of targeting his neighbors for nearly a decade.
Azusa police responded to a “quality of life issue” on the 900 block of North Enid Avenue and discovered that over the past nine to ten years, “dozens of citizens were being victimized by a serial slingshot shooter.”
The suspect, identified as Prince King, allegedly broke windows and windshields with his slingshot and occasionally came close to hitting people. Inmate records confirm King is 81 years old. No attorney has been listed to comment on his behalf.
Police executed a search warrant in the neighborhood where the slingshot attacks occurred and arrested King on Thursday. During the search, ball bearings and a slingshot were found at his home.
Azusa police Lt. Jake Bushey informed the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that although police began investigating after the first slingshot incident, they were unable to identify a suspect until now. Bushey mentioned that it was unclear how King was ultimately identified, but detectives found that most of the ball bearings originated from King’s backyard or a nearby area.
The motive behind the attacks appears to be “malicious mischief,” according to Bushey, who noted that the shots were not random but did not know why specific people or properties were targeted.
Some commenters on the police department’s Facebook post reported their car windows being shot out, though they couldn’t confirm King as the culprit.
King’s next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.