Team of 4 Hamilton police officers devoted to Locke Street vandalism probe

A team of Hamilton policedetectives is poring over hours of security video looking to identify suspects who may have been responsible for vandalising businesses on Locke Street on March 4

A mob of around 30 people dressed in black, and masked, caused about $100,000 of damage in one night by setting off fireworks, smashing windows with rocks and damaging vehicles.

Jerome Stewart, media relations officer for the force, said in an email ateam of four officers is dedicated to the investigation and has been "combing through hundreds of hours of security video and interviewing people" in order to identify suspects.

It's not clear how many they may have identified. Police is also not releasing photos at this time. Last week police did release a map of the route the group took and asked residents and businesses to check security footage, hoping to find some where members of the group were not wearing masks.

Stewart also provided no comment as to whether police is investigating The Tower, a social anarchist centre, for this case.

He said "this has been an a very sensitive and extensive investigation" and it's likely to continue for a while.

This past Saturday was declared "#LoveLockeDay" by Ontario NDP leader and MPP for Hamilton Centre Andrea Horwath. People were encouraged to support businesses on Locke Street that were affected by the vandalism spree a week ago.

The day began at Donut Monster, where eight windows were smashed during the rampage.