LANSING, Mich — A masked man vandalized multiple businesses in Lansing's Old Town early Wednesday morning.
• Surveillance footage shows the suspect attempting to break into The Odd Nodd before vandalizing the building.
• Police are investigating the incidents as potential hate crimes.
• Local residents say this isolated incident doesn't define their community.
The aggression was clearly documented on surveillance cameras.
WATCH: Masked vandal targets Old Town businesses with hate speech
Casey Sorrow, owner of The Odd Nodd, said the suspect made multiple attempts to break into his business around 3 in the morning before escalating to vandalism.
"He had apparently put a homophobic slur on our window after attempting to smash it... but the police were here before us and wiped it off for us," Sorrow said.
The vandalism extended beyond The Odd Nodd. Alex Wiseman-Rose, who lives directly above the business, said he witnessed the man damaging his car from his window.
"I was panicked, a little fear...mainly I was angry... I just got this car and someone is already trying to attack it... it was my first time hearing about something like this happening around here.. it sucked," Wiseman-Rose said.
Surveillance footage then shows the suspect crossing the street to Sweet Custom Jewelry, where owner Bob Sweet said racial slurs sprayed on his building.
"The damages were just the paint and the scrubbing it took a lot of time," Sweet said.
While police haven't identified a suspect, they are investigating the incidents as potential hate crimes.
Despite the disturbing nature of these events, the Old Town community remains resilient.
"I think this whole area and Lansing in general is not defined by this one disturbed individual," Sorrow said.
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