*4th Street, between Upshur and Taylor Streets NW*

Late in the evening on Wednesday, January 27th, someone walked down 4th Street NW, between Upshur and Taylor, and sliced at least one tire on 17 cars. Why?

A few people reached out to me to tell me about it and share their stories. All I know for sure is that there are 17 police reports for damaged tires. From what I hear from readers, residents think this is the work of one man who lives nearby, about a block away.

A neighbor saw this man leaning down by several of the cars that evening. She thought he was working on the lug bolts on a car, but then saw him bending down by many cars on the street and she became suspicious. Apparently by then it was too late, as she discovered damage to her car and several others. Neighbors called police, and MPD was there until 2am taking statements from the 17 residents.

The guess of many residents is that whomever sliced all the tires might have been upset at losing a parking spot after the snows of the weekend. MPD says they are investigating, but I would think that at this point, it's an insurance issue, but hopefully this area will be on MPD's radar to patrol a bit more regularly (especially after a snowfall).

So what's worse, saving a parking spot with a chair, or losing your mind and slicing the tires of 17 cars when someone takes the spot you cleared?