Suspected 'Car-nage' Vandal Arrested

Police have picked up a suspect in connection with last week's mass tire slashing — an incident dubbed "Car-nage 2011."

From the Chronicle:

A woman has been arrested and charged with vandalism for allegedly slashing the tires of 74 cars in Oakland and Berkeley, including several on the street where she lives, authorities said Thursday. 

Mandisa Monroe, 33, of Berkeley was arrested at about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday near her home, said police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss. Alameda County prosecutors have charged her with felony vandalism. 

Kusmiss said a security camera filmed Monroe slashing one set of tires and that a search of her home uncovered items that connected her to the crimes.Monroe slashed tires on 61 cars in Berkeley and 13 in North Oakland and spray-painted some of the vehicles late Aug. 30 or early Aug. 31, police said.

From what I gather on Berkeleyside, the woman was a resident of this house (below), which is famous for having black-power slogans painted on its fence. I've often walked by the home and stopped to read the messages.

A lot going on here. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps.)

It sounds like she's been foreclosed on, so perhaps the vandalism represented her final lashing-out at the neighborhood. It's been suggested on Berkeleyside that she suffers from mental illness, so I hope she gets the help she needs.

Meanwhile, I noticed a new stop-sign message nearby. Perhaps it's a response to all the exhortations to stop driving. I can't!