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BOUNTIFUL -- One Utah tire dealership is reporting a surge in tire slashing cases over the past week.
It isn't unusual for tire shops to repair a slashed tire or some other kind of vandalism. But at Burt Brothers Tire & Service in Bountiful, manager Steve Eggelston says they've seen more than the usual.
"Since the weekend we've seen one every day," he says.
In every case, Eggelston says someone has poked a tiny hole in the sidewall of the cars' passenger side tires, creating a slow leak that isn't immediately noticed. Because the damage is in the sidewall, the tire cannot be repaired in many cases, and road hazard warranties rarely cover acts of vandalism.
Eggelston says two of his customers think it happened to them earlier this week, near the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City. Others didn't know where the vandalism may have occurred.
He says though the damage has been in the hundreds of dollars in some cases, none of his customers thought to call police.
"Some of the people have checked with insurance companies, some have been covered by their insurance companies," Eggelston says.
Police in the Salt Lake City and Bountiful areas say they haven't noticed a recent rash of tire vandalism.
Tire stores near Burt Brothers and downtown have reported a few similar cases recently, but none have seen unusually high numbers.
E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com
