Police in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas have detained a suspect after two trolleybuses were shot at on consecutive evenings in the same area, authorities said Wednesday.
The shootings occurred along Juozapavičiaus Avenue at roughly the same time on Monday and Tuesday evenings. No drivers or passengers were injured in either incident.
On Tuesday, several minutes after nine in the evening, a shot shattered a window of a moving trolleybus. The driver stopped the vehicle after hearing the impact and called police.
“It’s hard to say exactly where it was hit,” said Albinas Ramanauskas, head of the city’s transport park. “There may have been an impact here, but there is more damage.”
Two passengers were on board the trolleybus at the time, but neither was hurt, said Rimas Stankaitis, director of transport operations at Kauno Autobusai, the city’s public transport operator.
“The main thing is that the passengers and the driver are safe,” Stankaitis said.
A second trolleybus was shot at in a similar location the previous evening, also shortly after nine. There were no passengers on board at the time. As a result, two trolleybuses are currently out of service due to shattered windows, Stankaitis said.
The incidents alarmed residents living near the area. Some told LRT TV they now avoid using public transport in the evenings, citing ongoing vandalism in the neighbourhood.
Police said a 32-year-old man who lives nearby was detained within an hour of the second shooting. He was arrested on a street close to the scene after officers acted on information provided by members of the public.
Kaunas District Prosecutor Jolita Raudeliūnienė said the suspect is known to law enforcement and has prior convictions for property-related and violent crimes. Preliminary information suggests he may have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the incidents.
Investigators are also examining whether the same suspect may be responsible for damage to a nearby parked car and a building’s display window. During the arrest, officers found a pellet gun on the suspect, and specialists will determine whether a permit was required to possess it, Raudeliūnienė said.
The suspect has been placed in custody. If convicted of damaging property in a manner dangerous to the public, he faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison.
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