A man caught slashing 30 tires on vehicles belonging to the City of Spearfish, S.D., was arrested on eight felony charges and various misdemeanors.

Early on the morning of May 31, cameras showed a man walking around vehicles in the Police Department parking lot. He then moved to an adjacent parking lot and slashed tires on city vehicles parked there before slashing tires on police patrol vehicles, according to a city release. Officers pursued him and caught him in possession of the knife used to slash the tires.

In total, 30 tires total were slashed, including police department, animal control, and other city vehicles, as well as the tires of a city employee’s personal vehicle.

“I’m very disappointed that anyone would commit a crime like this,” Pat Rotert, Spearfish Public Safety director, said. “With these alleged actions, [the suspect] impacted our fleet capabilities and potentially slowed our response to requests from community members while the damage to the equipment we respond in is being repaired. During the day following this incident, we had calls ranging from medical emergencies to a domestic violence arrest. While law enforcement was the target of his alleged actions, in my view, he victimized the entire community.”

Repairs to the fleet have begun, with completion dependent on the availability of tires in the area. The department estimates the value of the tires alone to be approximately $7,500.

The suspect has been charged with seven counts of intentional damage to property ($1,000-$2,500); one count of concealed weapon with intent to commit a felony; one count of intentional damage to property ($400-$1,000); five counts of obstruction of law enforcement; and one count of underage consumption.

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