'Serial slingshot shooter' accused of terrorizing California neighborhood for a decade
An 81-year-old California man who authorities called a "serial slingshot shooter" was arrested for allegedly striking windows, windshields and almost people with ball bearings, police said.
Prince Raymond King was arrested May 23 during a search warrant conducted in his neighborhood, the Azusa Police Department said in a Facebook post. Officers found ball bearings and a slingshot in King's house, according to the department.
The search warrant was executed because officers learned about a "quality of life issue," the department's Facebook post said. Azusa police's "lengthy investigation" determined that "during the course of 9-10 years, dozens of citizens were being victimized by a serial slingshot shooter," the social media post continued.
No injuries were reported as a result of King's alleged actions, Azusa police Lt. Jake Bushey told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Azusa police have been investigating the 'serial slingshot shooter' for years
Azusa police have been investigating the slingshot incidents since they initially began years ago, but the department never identified a suspect, according to Bushey, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported.
It is unclear how King was identified as a suspect, but detectives with Azusa police learned that most of the ball bearings were shot from his backyard, Bushey told the California-based outlet. Other shots were launched from a "nearby neighborhood," the lieutenant said.
“We’re not aware of any kind of motive other than just malicious mischief,” Bushey said, adding that the shots were not random, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported. The lieutenant said he did not know why particular properties or people were targeted.
King is currently being held at the Los Angeles County Jail without bail, according to inmate records.