SAN ANTONIO – An overnight streak of vandalism left several businesses near a busy intersection Northwest of downtown with damages, and their customers caught off guard.
San Antonio police arrested a 33-year-old man who was allegedly caught on camera throwing rocks and shattering large plate glass windows on several businesses around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Police identified the man on Thursday morning as Luis Arnold Rivera.
Walmart, McDonald’s, Dollar Tree, Bank of America and PLS Check Cashers, all located near Bandera Road and West Woodlawn Avenue, were among the businesses with broken windows.
Beatriz Macias arrived at the Dollar Tree store after 8 a.m. and was surprised to find a note on the door stating that the store was closed.
Even more shocking, though, was the tarp covering what used to be a glass window on the front door.
“Oh my God. It’s crazy,” Macias said. “People that don’t care.”
A worker could be seen inside the business sweeping up broken glass. Outside was a bucket loaded with tiny glass shards that had been swept up already.
Macias said she stopped by the store to buy flowers for family members.
Instead, Macias said she would go to a different Dollar Tree location on Ingram Road.
McDonald’s workers could also be seen turning away breakfast customers.
Meanwhile, William Weber stood in disbelief as a crew swept up glass at Bank of America.
He said he happened to be walking by the bank early Wednesday morning, apparently right after the business was vandalized.
“I (saw) a police officer pulling into Bank of America, and I looked over and saw the windows,” Weber said. “It looked like they’d been shot out.”
He came back after daylight to see how extensive the damage was.
Weber said he was glad to see that police had made an arrest so quickly.
“It was good to see them out investigating it,” Weber said. “So yeah, I’m sure they got the guy.”
It’s unclear why Rivera allegedly went on the destructive rampage.
According to SAPD data, property damage, such as Wednesday morning, is an ongoing problem in that particular area and San Antonio.
Police received 22,033 reports of vandalism or property damage in the city since January 2024.
Of those, 4,161 cases were in SAPD’s western division, including where the multiple store vandalism happened.
However, the data shows a downward trend in property damage in recent months.
The number of reports this year peaked between April and July.
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