Authorities are asking other residents to come forward if they have doorbell video that could help the investigation.
COPPELL, Texas — A doorbell camera video from last November has become a key piece of evidence in an ongoing police investigation. The victim, Carol Varghese, says a group of teenagers repeatedly targeted her home late at night for weeks.
“Between the hours of 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., pounding on our door, frightening us. We called the police every time,” said Carol Varghese.
According to Varghese, the harassment escalated, with the suspects throwing a sticky substance at her home and yelling racial slurs. The most recent incident took a dangerous turn.
“They broke the glass, I could see the glass fly in, and I could hear them laughing and then running away,” she said.
Varghese, who lives in the Lakes of Coppell neighborhood, said she had always felt safe until these incidents. In one video, she believes one of the suspects was recording the attack. As the vandalism worsened, so did her fears.
“Even to this day, we are still afraid, because our door still has a hole in it,” Varghese said.
To bring attention to the situation, Varghese posted videos and photos of the suspects on social media. That led to other victims speaking out, including John Jun, whose wife’s car was vandalized. He found her car covered with a sticky substance. Even after taking it through the car wash more than once, the sticky substance would not wash off. He hopes the parents of the kids responsible address their behavior with tough love.
“This is beyond kids just being kids,” John Jun said.
Jun expressed his disappointment in what happened. He and Carol have been in contact and he has pledged to support her efforts to make sure the suspects don’t get away with covering the costs of the damages.
“I was kind of disappointed in that sense, the community that I really love and care for,” he said.
Coppell police reviewed the video footage and were able to identify one of the teenagers, leading them to the others. All are now under investigation for criminal mischief.
Authorities are asking other residents to come forward if they have doorbell video that could help the investigation.
“Get the message out that it’s not acceptable in our community or any community, for that matter,” said Jun.
Varghese and other victims say they hope for a resolution that restores their sense of security.
“We are looking for a final outcome so we can feel safe in our city again,” she said.
Despite efforts to hide their identities, Coppell police worked to identify the young suspects. Detectives assigned to the case questioned the teenagers on Monday and could eventually present their case to the district attorney for multiple charges of criminal mischief.
