A preliminary hearing was held today for the victim turned suspect in the Mayfair tire slashing spree.
David Toledo, 44, is accused of vandalizing dozens of cars on his own block and in the area surrounding his home. He currently faces 54 charges of criminal mischief, possessing instruments of crime and filing false reports. While Toledo expected to stand trial before a judge today, prosecutors wanted a jury trial instead.
In court, several 15th district police officers testified that dozens of Mayfair residents awoke to find their tires slashed between January and April of this year. They also say Toledo, a self-appointed town watch activist, was outside during the overnight hours.
"No eyewitness," said Toledo's attorney William Brennan. "Nobody saw him with a weapon. The other guy's got a weapon and nobody saw him anywhere near a tire being slashed."
Toledo spoke to NBC10 several times after coverage of tire slashings in the area of the 4000 block of Aldine Street -- where he lives -- and surrounding roads began to surface in February.
"I want the guy who did it because I want to break both of his hands so that he never does it again," said Toledo after some cars were vandalized in mid-March. "My wife said 'somebody is watching us watching the cops' because when they're here nothing happens."
Toledo was later arrested for the very same crimes he spoke out against back in April.
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A police officer told the court today that after Toledo was arrested, newspaper articles about the vandalism and heavy-duty razor blades were found inside his home.
"I don't find it shocking that a knife was found in a residential home," said Brennan. "I mean how do you cut your steak?"
Toledo, who remains free on bail, will be back in court on August 2 for a formal arraignment.
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