OHIO — Authorities arrested two men late Monday following reports that multiple vehicles, including a marked police cruiser and a transit bus, were struck by paintballs.
Tyler Duffy, 21, and Kit Glass, 20, were taken into custody and booked into the Mahoning County Jail on charges of obstructing official business and vehicular vandalism. Both were released Tuesday.
The incident began around 11 p.m. when a Youngstown police officer reported his cruiser had been hit by paintballs near the Spring Commons Bridge.
Another driver told police his vehicle was also struck while traveling on Mahoning Avenue and said the paintballs appeared to have been fired from the elevated train tracks above the street.
Officers searched the train tracks near Oak Hill Avenue and Marshall Street. One officer reported seeing two people running from the tracks near the B&O Station and shouted for them to stop. The suspects fled, but police surrounded the area, used a drone, and made public address announcements.
Duffy and Glass were later found walking on Mahoning Avenue near West Avenue and were taken into custody in a parking lot while being picked up by Duffy’s mother. Police said Duffy was carrying a CO2 cylinder, which can be used to propel paintballs.
While the investigation was ongoing, a Western Reserve Transit Authority driver reported that a bus had been struck several times on the sides and front by paintballs. Authorities said the bus was occupied only by the driver at the time.
No paintball guns were found near the scene or on the men, and the officer whose cruiser was initially struck reported no damage to the vehicle.
