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Man behind about 60 slashed tires in Austin wanted to go back to prison, police say

A South Austin neighborhood was "in chaos" Tuesday morning after waking up to slashed tires, a resident told KVUE. According to documents, the man who allegedly slashed the tires was also behind a house fire in the area.

AUSTIN — After a South Austin neighborhood woke up to nearly 60 slashed tires Tuesday morning, Austin police told KVUE they have a suspect in custody who is also believed to be behind a house fire that happened in the neighborhood less than 24 hours earlier.

The Austin Police Department said the suspect slashed a total of 58 tires on 49 vehicles, causing damage that was estimated to be $5,800. A resident who lives on Enchanted Lane near Manchaca Road told KVUE when her neighbors noticed the slashed tires, they found a note on their cars with a police case number.

Credit: Neighbor
A resident said her neighbors found a note on their cars after they discovered their tires were slashed. She said the notes had the case number associated with the incident.

According to arrest documents, Jason Barclae has been charged in connection to the tire slashings and house fire. He is charged with criminal mischief and arson, online records showed.

SECURITY VIDEO: Suspect spotted slashing tires in Austin neighborhood

The affidavit said that officers were called to the neighborhood in the early morning hours of July 31 due to reports that a man was popping and slashing tires with a knife. Neighbors said he slashed tires on Clawson Road and Enchanted Lane.

Responding officers found a man identified as Barclae on Enchanted Lane with a backpack and a knife. As officers detained him, Barclae allegedly said he "damaged 20-plus vehicles in the area and also set a house on fire earlier in the day in the neighborhood" because he was "fed up with his job and neighbors," the affidavit said.

Court documents said that police body camera video showed Barclae stating he was doing the damage because he was "sick of living in this neighborhood."

Credit: Screengrab of neighbor video, APD mugshot
Jason Barclae has been charged in connection to the tire slashings and house fire. He is charged with criminal mischief and arson, online records showed.

Barclae also said he "wanted to make sure he went back to prison" and said "I for sure did it" while he was talking about the fire, police said.

The fire broke out on July 30 at around 12:30 p.m. at an unoccupied residence located at 4702 Clawson Road. The fire caused $60,000 in damages, fire officials said.

Barclae allegedly told investigators that he broke the window to a bedroom at the house two days before the fire and "was certain no one was living in the house because he was watching the mail pile up outside for several days," the affidavit said. Barclae said that he started the fire by putting lighter fluid in the bedroom through the broken window, the affidavit said.

The owner of the home confirmed that the house was unoccupied.

A neighbor said her fellow residents woke up to a hectic scene after discovering the tire slashings.

"My neighborhood is in chaos as people are trying to get to work," she wrote in an email to KVUE Tuesday morning. "There’s a three-hour wait at Discount Tire because everyone flooded over there. People are just wandering in the streets helping people put donuts on their cars."

Slashed tires lined the street on Enchanted Lane.

Demetrius Lavato said he saw Barclae and called police.

"It was a little after 12:30 a.m., and then we kept hearing bursts of air," said Lavato. "I assumed somebody was getting towed at the time."

Lavato said he and his friend walked outside only to see "a gentleman standing up by a vehicle."

"He was just out there popping tires," he said, using something "like a steak knife."

One neighbor later spotted who he believes is Barclae on his security footage of Enchanted Lane around 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday.

Lavato said the neighborhood is no stranger to small crimes but said they've never seen something like this.

"He got both my tires. Everything on the curb they were grabbing," said Lavato. "And I had it in the driveway last night, and I pulled out just so I could put my garbage bins outs. I wish I would've put it back."

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