Man caught on video smashing Maidstone shop windows

KentOnline / KMTV

Businesses were forced to close and fork out for repairs as the identity of the man is still unknown. Kent Police has been contacted for more information. Bartholomew Hall reports.

Transcript

00:00This is the moment a man was caught on camera smashing the windows of multiple shops in

00:09Maidstone's town centre using a fire extinguisher. Police officers were later seen chasing the

00:14man down Gabriel Hill before he appears to be apprehended on Sunday evening.

00:20And this is what shoppers were met with in the morning. Glass strewn across pavements,

00:24taped off areas and shops boarded up. Devastating. I mean, I've had, you know, I've lost the

00:30business today, possibly tomorrow. I've had to throw away food. You know, if I can get

00:35it to a state where perhaps it's safe, then maybe we'd be able to open and do take away

00:39coffees or something. But at this moment in time, I can't open. As you can see, it's just

00:43a mess everywhere. We've had to move all the furniture out of the way. I've got a hoof

00:46for all the furniture because it's got glass on it. You know, it's just devastating. We're

00:50only a small company. You know, we're only eight in the whole chain. And, you know, one

00:54shop shut for two or three days is a big, it's a major impact.

00:59I've counted eight businesses on this stretch of the high street, which have had their windows

01:02smashed, including the mall shopping centre. And it being a Sunday night, many of them

01:07were closed and told me they only found out when they saw the video being shared online.

01:11I was sitting at home last night and one of the girls on the team shared in the group

01:14chat that someone had been walking up and down King Street, smashing all the windows,

01:18logged on, looked at the CCTV, saw that he'd done two of us. It's frustrating. You know,

01:24you're trying to get on, you're trying to run a business, you're trying to just work from

01:27day to day. And then all of a sudden, Monday, you come in, you've got a full list of things

01:31you want to get done for the week. And all of a sudden, you've now got to go around shopping

01:35a man for quotes, trying to get a new window fitted.

01:38And it's not the first time business owners have reported antisocial behaviour and criminal

01:42damage. In the summer of 2024, two charity statues were targeted, causing thousands of pounds

01:48worth of damage. In fact, the district saw 28.5% increase in the number of reports of antisocial

01:55behaviour last year, with more than 1,700 incidents taken to Kent Police.

02:01As businesses tell me, they hope to return to normal soon. For now, work continues to pick

02:06up the pieces. Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Maidstone.

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