COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus police are looking for a group of teenagers who broke into the Linden Community Center and caused significant damage on Tuesday.
Around 3 a.m., police responded to the rec center on Briarwood Drive for a burglary alarm.
“It just seems like a bunch of teenagers ran in and wanted to cause havoc inside the rec center,” said Columbus Police Sergeant Joe Albert.
Albert said several windows were broken and the teens broke into several vending machines inside the center. He calls the break-in frustrating because the center is supposed to be a safe place for teenagers to go.
Dominique Shank, the community relations chief for the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department said the center is a place of gathering for the community and to promote safety in the Linden area.
She added the break-in is frustrating because the staff takes pride in the center and the community.
“We do know who the perpetrators were. They are kids. What we are looking for is support and buy-in from our parents. This happened in the wee hours of the morning. Kids were out and about unsupervised,” Shank said.
Columbus police say they are doing their best to make sure the center is safe for everyone in the community.
“We just announced last week during Operation Moonlight we are dedicating personnel to parks and rec centers to periodically check on it. We are also putting up cameras in different locations. It wouldn't surprise me if that is going to be one of the locations with the crime that has been committed there,” Albert said.
Police have not made any arrests in the incident.