Police flooded with tips about teens throwing rocks at vehicles

Halton Police were overwhelmed by calls from the public after a story about rocks being thrown at a Cambridge couples' car Sunday night on Mountainview Rd. appeared in Wednesday's edition of The Independent & Free Press. Det. Sgt. Peter Hodgson said police received several calls from people who had also had rocks thrown at their vehicles, and from others offering information. "Several leads have been generated which we are actively pursuing," said Hodgson. "We certainly thank the people who called with information and hope this leads to a quick resolution." Georgetown resident Neil Shepherd was one of those people who contacted police after reading the story because he said rocks were tossed at his van Monday night, at the same location in Georgetown South where the incident involving the Tabordas of Cambridge occurred. Shepherd said he was traveling with his 15-year-old son Ryan southbound on Mountainview Rd. between Barber Dr. and Argyll Rd. at 8 p.m. in their 2005 Chevrolet van when they heard a loud bang. He later determined his van had been hit on the passenger side by a rock, although there was no significant damage. He immediately stopped the van, and in his rear-view mirror saw two male youths crossing Mountainview Rd. eastbound from the treed area on Smith Dr. He said they were on the boulevard, and when he got out of the van and approached them they fled across Mountainview to McKinnon Ave. Shepherd said he chased one of the youths-- the taller of the two-- until the youth ran into the backyard of a home of a McKinnon Ave. home, damaging a section of fence. He lost the boys, but said he spoke to the homeowner where the fence was broken who had the same description of the boy that he did. Shepherd describes him as approximately 16-years-old, 6', thin and wearing a blue ski jacket with a white or yellow stripe on both arms. The other male was shorter, and wearing a dark jacket, he said. He returned to his van, circled onto McKinnon Ave. and spotted the two youths again on the sidewalk. When he went to chase them, they ran away. Shepherd said he contacted the Tabordas and said since they both had the same description of the culprits, he believes they were the same youths. "Eventually someone is going to get really hurt," said Shepherd. "I can't believe these guys did the same vicious act two nights in a row." Police are taking the incidents very seriously. Anyone with information on the culprits or either incident is asked to call Const. John Peppler at 905-878-5511 ext. 2116, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.