81-year-old slingshot shooter who terrorized Azusa residents for years is arrested, police say

An 81-year-old man was arrested this week on suspicion of terrorizing a residential neighborhood for years with an unusual weapon: a slingshot.

Prince Raymond King, of Azusa, was arrested after police served a search warrant on his home in the 900 block of North Enid Avenue on Thursday, May 23, and found the slingshot and ball bearings, Azusa police said in a news release.

How many ball bearings King had inside the home was not provided.

Officers learned over a lengthy investigation that dozens of people were victimized for about a decade by a “serial slingshot shooter” who broke windows, windshields and almost hit people with his ammo. No injuries were reported, Azusa police Lt. Jake Bushey said.

Bushey said officers began investigating when the first incident occurred.

“It’s been ongoing for many years because we just didn’t identify who the suspect was,” Bushey said.

What finally led officers to King was unclear.

Bushey on Saturday said he wasn’t sure how King was identified, but detectives learned that most of the ball bearings were shot from his backyard with others launched from “a nearby neighborhood.”

Why King allegedly vandalized property and nearly hit his neighbors was unknown.

“We’re not aware of any kind of motive other than just malicious mischief,” Bushey said, adding that the shots were not random. He said he did not know why certain properties or people were targeted.

King was booked into jail on no bail, according to inmate records. He was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.