6 arrested in Salt Lake County BB gun shooting spree that shattered dozens of car, house windows

Two adults and four teens were arrested early Saturday for allegedly using BB guns to shoot out dozens of car and house windows in at least three Salt Lake County cities.

The vandalism spree began about 10:30 p.m. Friday and caused an estimated $50,000 damages in Kearns, West Valley City and West Jordan, Unified Police Lt. Steve Shreeve said.

Officers used eyewitness descriptions of two vehicles — a white Chevrolet Suburban and a silver Toyota Tundra — to track down the individuals involved.

A West Valley City police officer spotted one of the cars near 4800 South and 4100 West about 1:30 a.m. Saturday and arrested five people, Shreeve said. A sixth person was arrested about 5 a.m., at his home, he said.

Four weapons were recovered, including three BB gun pistols and one BB gun rifle, Shreeve said. Some of those arrested had BB's in their pockets, he said.

The two adult males, both 18, were booked into the Salt Lake County jail for investigation of felony criminal mischief. Two 16-year-old boys and two 17-year-old boys were booked into a juvenile detention facility.

No formal charges have been filed.

"It was their idea, I guess, of having a good time, driving around and shooting out windows," Shreeve said.

Investigators believe the group is also responsible for a similar vandalism spree in Kearns and West Valley City which occurred earlier this month, Shreeve said.

If convicted of criminal charges, Shreeve said the alleged vandals will likely be responsible for tens of thousands of dollars in restitution payments.

"Whatever the final bill is, divide that by six and there you have it," he said. "They'll be paying for this for a long time."

jdobner@sltrib.com