Twerking vandals cause more than $25,000 in damage to Glendora cleaner’s cars
Here’s one for the you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up file: Three teenagers stand accused of twerking on a Glendora cleaning company’s pink and white Volkswagen Beetles — and causing thousands of dollars in damage.
According to Pink Sponge Home Cleaning co-founder Jessica Ahlgrim, she and her employees arrived at the business Saturday morning to find “complete devastation.”
Almost 15 company cars had been vandalized earlier that day — tail lights and headlights bashed in, side mirrors torn off, windows shattered. And just for good measure, company vacuums and mops had been kicked and thrown on the ground.
Another shock came when the Glendora Police Department obtained video from the security cameras covering the parking lot. The footage showed three young people “twerking” on one of the company’s pink Volkswagens, as well as throwing items at and kicking cars over a two-hour period.
“They didn’t steal anything,” Ahlgrim said. “They just terrorized. All they did was break things. It was just shattering, honestly.”
Torrance police say they have become aware of a planned youth “takeover” at the Del Amo Fashion Center on Saturday and will beef up security at the mall.
A 15-year-old male, 14-year-old female and 15-year-old female have been arrested on suspicion of vandalism, according to Glendora Police Department Police Cpl. Sean Ward. The three were issued citations and released to their parents or guardians, Ward said, and the motive is unknown at this time. Their names were not released because they are minors.
Ahlgrim said her insurer denied her claim for reimbursement, so she has started a GoFundMe page to help pay for the $25,000 in damage, she said. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than $2,000 has been raised.
In the meantime, Ahlgrim has decided to keep her business open, giving her clients a heads up that there might be delayed arrival times because almost 80% of the company’s fleet has been damaged.
The business has experienced some break-ins and burglaries in the past, but the latest incident was definitely the most severe vandalism Ahlgrim has seen.
“This is the highest it’s ever escalated,” she said. “This is unacceptable.”
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