Oh no you didn't: Luxury BMW owner catches vandal's smash-and-dash on cam
A Metro Vancouver man says he considers himself lucky to be the owner of a BMW i8 luxury model. But Daniel Yoo says his luck ran out in October 2023 when he found his car’s windshield smashed.
“I just had it parked on the side of the street,” says Yoo.
He parked his car near the area of Cooper’s Park in Richmond on October 6, and a person who has yet to be identified was caught on video throwing a large rock at the car’s windshield and side windows several times.
Here are some pictures of what the damage looked like afterward.
Daniel Yoo
Yoo even discovered the rock that could have been used to smash the window still in the passenger seat.
Daniel Yoo
He says he was dismayed after he discovered his car in the morning.
“I was really shocked,” says Yoo.
He says he immediately drove it to the auto body shop Speedy Glass, which told him the repairs would cost over $10,000.
Daniel Yoo
“At first, I was really worried when I went to Speedy Glass because it was so much. I was so happy after learning my ICBC insurance would cover the $10,000 worth of costs.”
Yoo says that he considered making a police report but feared it wouldn’t turn up with anything.
“I don’t believe they would find the suspect.”
Yoo says he owns five different cars and that this has happened to one of his cars every year for the past eight years.
“Because I live in the downtown area, I park on the streets, but I have some bags of expensive things in his car sometimes.”
Yoo says that because of his insurance plan, he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to pay the entire bill himself.
He says he was lucky to install the dashcam in time, worried that reporting the incident to ICBC without video proof could have meant a lengthier process.
The benefits of having a dashcam
Joseph Choo of BlackboxMyCar says that dashcams are a great tool to install to prevent a hefty repair bill after an incident occurs.
“So whether somebody slashed the side of their car or, we’ve even had cases where an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend of one of our customers ended up slashing their cars, or like doing some vandalism to get back at them or whatnot. As a result, they just want a dashcam to protect them and record when they’re not there for that protection,” says Choo.
“ICBC, for example, loves having video evidence for these things just because you can avoid that he-said-she-said incident.
“A lot of the times when you get into an accident on the road, there’s a story on both sides,” he added.
The model of the dash cam you choose is something to consider before you buy one, depending on your needs. Choo says it’s not just about owning a dashcam but having one installed that can record all the time.
The model that Yoo had was a “two-channel cam” that allowed filming even when the vehicle was off.
“When there’s video evidence that’s involved from one party, it gives a full 360 understanding of what happened during that incident, and it’s significantly easier for both parties as well as ICBC to determine who was actually at fault.”
Yoo says he wants to share his stories with others to help car owners feel protected and ensure they have a safety net if this situation ever happens to them.