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Nishi Gupta ReportingVandals targeted Glendale Middle School early this morning. Neighbors alerted police after hearing sounds of breaking glass coming from the school grounds.
Police got there around 4:30 this morning. There was no sign of the vandals, only the damage they caused to the outside of the school.
Principal Ernie Nix was hoping to complete some office work this morning. Instead he spent it walking around the school grounds, assessing the assault on his school.
Ernie Nix/ Principal: "It hurts me. It's most definitely a home away from home for me. I just hope the police catch these guys and hold them accountable."
Graffiti up high and down low, broken skylights in the gym, choir room and weight room. And damage to several surveillance cameras.
But before the damage, they caught movement. Phil Bradley of the school's security team showed us. A little after 2 am, you can see hands spray painting this camera black. An hour later, vandals fidget with another one until they turn it upside down.
The next movement caught on tape is of the officers and their police dogs trying to track down the vandals.
Det. Joe Cyr/ Salt Lake City Police Dept.: "They followed a trail for awhile, but the trail fizzled out and we weren't able to locate the suspects."
Vandals didn't just get to the main building. They came out back, broke out a portable building's window, which has now been boarded up.
Det. Joe Cyr: "The damage is estimated to be ten-thousand dollars."
As for the graffiti, detectives are taking a closer look.
Det. Joe Cyr: "The graffiti that was spray painted on the school appears to be gang related."
Detectives will compare pictures of this graffiti to other known gang symbols.
