Petersburg car vandalism began with gunshots

PETERSBURG—Police say three men ran out of bullets after shooting the windows of two parked cars in an overnight vandalism spree, so they smashed the windows of more than 40 other vehicles with rocks and other objects.

Police arrested three North Carolina men for the vandalism.

No injuries were reported, Petersburg police spokeswoman Esther Hyatt said.

Hyatt said it appeared that 45 vehicles were struck by the vandalism, which began about 1:15 a.m. with calls of shots fired and left most vehicles with damage to rear and driver’s side windows.

If residents discover that their vehicle was hit in the overnight vandalism, they should call the Petersburg police non-emergency number, (804) 732-4222, and get a case number that has been assigned to them, police said.

Hyatt said the three men arrested were still being processed, and the exact charges were not immediately available.

She identified the three as Lemar Spencer, 26, of High Point; and Michael Lunsford, 26, and Kenneth Isley, 21, both of Greensboro.

The vandalism occurred just east of the Lee Park area, in the Walnut Hill neighborhood.

Hyatt said the vandalism began in the 1700 block of Varina Street before spreading to Brandon Avenue, Johnson Road and Hampton Road and ending with the arrests of the three suspects in a dark-colored sport utility vehicle on Northampton Road, where a number of vehicles were struck in the 700 to 900 blocks.

In the 700 block of Northampton, Dewayne Nichols awoke this morning to find that the rear windows of his Toyota Prius and his wife’s Ford Mustang had been smashed overnight.

Nichols said he was tired after returning from a wedding in Alabama and slept through the night without hearing anything but barking dogs.

He shook his head when told all three suspects were in their 20s.

“I can understand a 16-year-old and how it would be entertaining to a 16-year-old,” Nichols said, “but not a grown man.”