Tracey Taylor, Berkeleyside

A group of South Berkeley residents change the slashed tires on their car which was parked on California Street.

South Berkeley residents in the area of California, Russell, King and Julia Streets woke up today to a rude shock, as more than 50 cars in the neighborhood had had their tires slashed in the early hours of the morning.

“This is the biggest tire slashing incident any of us can remember,” said Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Sgt Mary Kusmiss, who added that even 25-year police veterans had never seen anything like it.

The damage was done with a sharp implement — probably a knife or some type of blade, said Kusmiss, although people have been known to use ice picks too in similar cases.

At around 9:45 am today, Diego and Gabriel Gutierrez, who live on California Street, were attempting repairs on three of their cars which were parked in front of their home this morning. They were dealing with a total of seven flat tires in all.

Tracey Taylor, Berkeleyside

Diego Gutierrez, who lives on California Street, had three cars affected by the tire slashing spree, a total of seven flat tires

“It must have happened between 4 and 6 am,” said Gabriel, estimating that it might have been after 3 am when he was awake, and before the garbage trucks came through the area on its weekly round at around 6 am.

Diego Gutierrez added that he was contacting his insurance company, but that he didn’t know whether his policy covered vandalism.

Other residents were also changing tires — although many had been obliged to find other means of transport this morning to get to work or take kids to school.

Tracey Taylor, Berkeleyside

Three police cars were on the scene of the crime this morning at 9:30am documenting the extent of the damage and looking for clues

Sgt Kusmiss said the police took a call at around 7:00 am this morning reporting the tire slashing. Several police patrol cars were on the scene at around 9:30 am documenting the damage.

“We will explore all potential leads,” Sgt Kusmiss said. “At this point we have no idea what the motive is. This is a crime that can happen very quickly under the veil of darkness.”

Tracey Taylor, Berkeleyside

One of more than 50 cars that had its tires slashed in the early hours of Wednesday August 31 on California Street