Eugene police arrested a man early Sunday for vandalizing two Asian restaurants in central Eugene and are investigating him for hitting several more.
A witness who saw the vandalism said he was playing the new Pokemon Go app nearby, and credited the wildly popular game for helping police make the arrest, according to a report in The Oregonian.
Police responded at 1:49 Sunday morning to a report that a man threw a rock through the front window of Lotus Garden Vegetarian Restaurant, at 810 Charnelton St. in downtown Eugene. Police located and arrested Bernard Shifman, age 39, and said they were aided by several members of the public who called with suspect descriptions and tips on his movement.
Shifman was also charged in connection to a similar event at Jade Palace, a few blocks west on 7th Avenue, that was reported at about the same time. He was arrested on two counts of Criminal Mischief 1 and one count of Disorderly Conduct.
Police say they are investigating any connections with a recent string of similar crimes in the same area. According to a report in the Eugene, Ore., Register-Guard, several other Asian businesses in west Eugene have had windows broken recently, including King’s Asian Market, LZ Chinese, Sushi Island and Chingu Restaurant.
Yi Shen, a restaurant and grocery store in west Eugene, has been vandalized so many times recently that friends set up a GoFundMe campaign to help owner Phung Hsieh pay for the damages.