Traverse City Record-Eagle

Archive: Friday

November 2, 2012

Police: Homeless man kicks car

Man asks for money, is refused, then damages vehicle

BY ART BUKOWSKI abukowski@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — A local man's car is the worse for wear after he spurned a homeless man's request for money, police said.

The encounter occurred at McDonald's on East Front Street on Wednesday at about 9 p.m. A man and his son were walking into the restaurant when Shenandoah Hawkins, 35, a local homeless man, approached them.

Hawkins asked for money, city police Capt. Brian Heffner said, but the man and his son declined and continued on into the restaurant.

Then things took an ugly turn. Not long after the man and his son entered McDonald's, restaurant employees alerted them to a problem in the parking lot.

"The employees let him know someone was out in the parking lot damaging his car, and he goes out and sees the same homeless individual kicking in the side panels of his car," Heffner said.

Hawkins ran off, but was arrested a short time later. The victim discovered that Hawkins also let the air out of one of his tires, Heffner said.

Most homeless people in Traverse City aren't a problem, Heffner said, so it's unfortunate that Hawkins acted out.

"This does not reflect well on the remainder of our homeless population," he said.

Hawkins is expected to be charged with malicious destruction of property.

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