Doors, Windows Battered At 22 Pr. George's Homes

Paul Drake is convinced that a battering ram was used on his door. (By Robert A. Reeder -- The Washington Post)

Paul Drake had fallen asleep watching football on the living room sofa when a loud thud woke him. It was followed by a series of thuds as vandals charged his front door with what he believes was a battering ram, splitting the door frame and leaving Drake struggling to keep them out.

"Let the dog out! Let the dog out!" he recalled hollering to his wife as the vandals fled.

The incident, at 1:45 a.m. Sunday in Suitland, was part of a three-hour spree that left doors and windows smashed in at least 22 Prince George's County homes, police said yesterday. The vandals injured no one and took nothing from the houses and apartments as they moved undeterred across a 10-mile swath from District Heights to the Lake Arbor section of Mitchellville, police said.

"In each of the cases, they never gained entry. They simply ran off," said an investigative supervisor in the county police District III Station in Landover.

Police said yesterday afternoon that they had made no arrests but that several residents had provided partial descriptions of the vandals or vehicles. Authorities suspect that the crimes involved teenage boys, possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Officers said they did not know whether the damage was done with battering rams or by kicking. They could not recall any similar spate.

Vernon Herron, the Prince George's public safety director, said police are taking the "senseless crimes" seriously. He said that patrols would be stepped up in the affected areas and that officers would be watching for similar incidents, which could be prosecuted as vandalism, destruction of property or breaking and entering.

"We want parents to understand that if their children are involved in this malicious activity, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Herron said. "Residents deserve the right to have their property and homes protected and free from vandalism.

"These were senseless acts committed by people with too much time on their hands," he added.

He said the vandals easily could have been injured, particularly because several of the residents were awakened in the incidents.

"With all the home invasion crimes in the Washington region, people are very uneasy when it comes to people coming to their doors," Herron said. "What could have started as a prank could have ended tragically. These people need to understand that in today's times, when you enter a person's home or property, people are very fearful, and they try to protect themselves. . . . Doing something like this is dangerous."

Law enforcement officials warned that the use of deadly force by a resident against an intruder may sometimes be legally permissible.

The Drakes echoed the concern over the brazenness of the crimes. At the time of the incident, the family had lights on inside and outside the home. The front yard, where the vandals were, was illuminated by a streetlight.