Glendale airport vandalized, suspect taken into custody
Jan 9, 2019, 6:47 AM | Updated: 8:23 am
(Screenshot)
PHOENIX — Police have arrested a young man suspected of vandalizing the Glendale airport and nearby businesses for months and causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
Authorities said Timothy Guan, 23, was being held without bond for allegedly flooding the ground floor at the West Valley municipal airport late last week.
Guan was charged Monday with felony criminal damage and felony aggravated criminal damage.
He was also accused of throwing eggs and breaking windows at the site at Glen Harbor Boulevard and Glendale Avenue.
According to police records, surveillance video showed a break-in at the airport Friday around 1:40 a.m.
Guan allegedly used a hammer to smash several windows before dragging a hose into the terminal and turning it on.
Damage was estimated at $70,000.
When Guan returned to the facility Sunday, an employee recognized him from the surveillance footage. Guan, who allegedly was standing near a water tap, fled and drove off, but not before the employee chased after him and wrote down the license plate number.
Police said the airport’s terminal and all operations inside, including a flight school, had to be shut down all day to dry out.
The paperwork said officers found cases of eggs in Guan’s car.
A string of vandalism incidents began hitting shops around the airport in November, starting with eggings.
Goodyear police had also arrested Guan for egging two dozen cars, the court form said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.