OXNARD : Vandals Flatten Tires on 29 Cars, Pickups

Spoiling the morning for car owners in Oxnard, one or more nighttime vandals using an ice pick or similar tool flattened the tires of 29 vehicles early Tuesday, police said.

“The tire companies will be eating steak tonight,” Oxnard Police Officer Jason Benites said of the mischief along a quarter-mile stretch of Isle Way east of Victoria Avenue.

“Who knows? They might be suspects,” he joked.

Between 2 a.m. and sunrise, someone punctured the tires of the cars and pickup trucks parked along five blocks of Isle Way, starting in the 2900 block, Benites said. The tires of a vehicle on adjoining Adelaide Court were also punctured.

In a single block, flats were discovered on 14 cars parked in front of an apartment and condominium complex.

On most of the vehicles, all four tires were punctured repeatedly and might have to be replaced instead of repaired, Benites said. He estimated the total damage at $20,000.

All types of cars--young and old, domestic and foreign, expensive and economical--were targeted, he added. He said the leaks were so slow on some tires that they were still hissing when police arrived.

Not so slow was the response of tow trucks, Benites said. As many as four were there at a time.

Even a pickup truck with a compressor showed up, to inflate some of the cars’ tires long enough so that they could be driven to a shop for repairs, Benites said.

“Some people didn’t even realize their tires were flat until they began to drive away,” he said.

He added that police had not identified any suspects.