The Brief
Police arrested Andrew O’Neill, 34, for allegedly causing massive damage to a downtown St. Petersburg apartment building property.
Surveillance footage captured two men damaging landscaping lights and throwing them through windows.
Investigators estimate the destruction at The Residences at 400 Central costs roughly $96,000.
Bruce James was identified as the second person allegedly involved in the vandalism. He has not been taken into custody at this time.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – St. Petersburg police arrested one of the two men accused of causing nearly $100,000 in damage to a downtown apartment building earlier in July.
According to the St. Pete Police Department, Andrew O’Neill, 34, faces a charge of felony criminal mischief over $1,000 in connection with the vandalism at The Residences at 400 Central.
St. Petersburg vandalism investigation
The backstory
The vandalism happened shortly after 11:30 p.m. on July 11 at the apartment building located at 400 Central Ave. in downtown St. Pete.
Courtesy: St. Petersburg Police Department
Investigators previously released surveillance video showing a man kicking landscape lighting fixtures outside the building before throwing them at several glass windows.
According to the SPPD arrest affidavit, detectives identified O’Neill as the suspect seen on video damaging the property.
Police say O’Neill was seen on surveillance video destroying landscaping lights while another man, identified as Bruce James, allegedly damaged multiple of the building’s windows.
Downtown apartment building damage
By the numbers
In total, 14 lights were damaged, costing $1,500. James is accused of destroying three windows valued at a total of $25,000 each.
Investigators estimate the total damage at approximately $96,000.
At the time of the intal investigation, police said investigators were working to determine whether the two men knew each other and what motivated the vandalism.
Courtesy: St. Petersburg Police Department
O’Neill was arrested on Saturday and booked into the Pinellas County Jail on the felony criminal mischief charge.
Police investigation
What’s next
The SPPD arrest affidavit says James faces a felony charge, but he has not been taken into custody at this time.
The investigation remains ongoing as detectives continue pursuing the case involving Boyle.
The Source
Information for this story was gathered from the St. Petersburg Police Department and previous FOX 13 News reporting.