McKinney

Vandals Destroy Two Buses at Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County in McKinney

The damage will cost thousands of dollars in repairs, nonprofit says

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Surveillance cameras show two vandals breaking into buses Wednesday morning in the McKinney parking lot of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County.

At about 3:45 a.m., the two males were seen on video using fire extinguishers to break windows, doors, mirrors and lights on a bus. The vandals also sprayed the contents of an extinguisher inside one of the buses and even got under the hood to sabotage at least one of the engines, according to the nonprofit.

“The interior of one of the buses is absolutely destroyed. The exterior of both of the busses is destroyed. So, this is really going to hurt us,” said Marianne Radley, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County.

Radley said the surveillance video shows how the vandals spent nearly 20 minutes damaging the buses, which were parked in the parking lot along South Church Street in McKinney.

“We think it’s bored kids, bored teenagers, based on the video,” Radley said.

Though homes and apartments are located nearby, no one apparently heard the vandalism or called police until staff arrived just before 7 a.m. Wednesday.

The buses are used to transport children to the McKinney branch’s programs. Both buses are nearly new. One was added to the fleet late last year and the other is about two years old. Radley said the busses are valued at about $200,000.

“We are open now, taking care of kids of frontline health care workers, of people that are working during the pandemic,” said Radley. “Now we have no way to drive them to and from homes and to and from their schools because of the damage done, the extensive damage. It’s heartbreaking.”

Radley said the McKinney branch has seen vandalism in the past. Batteries were stolen from buses and vans in the parking lot. Staff now remove batteries at the end of each day, explained Radley.

Still, the nonprofit will likely upgrade security again and add cameras to the parking lot to capture clearer images.

“It’s just a shame that we are shifting dollars from programs to improve our security because of this nonsensical vandalism. It’s upsetting,” Radley said.

McKinney police said the department is investigating the vandalism.

Radley is asking neighbors to check their surveillance cameras for any information that could help police.

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