VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - It's being investigated as a possible hate crime. Xtra newspaper boxes in Vancouver's West End were targeted by vandals during the holidays.
The boxes which contain publications for the gay and lesbian community were vandalized between Christmas Day and December 29th. In total 14 boxes were hit and damage is worth about $3,000.
VPD Constable Jana McGuinness says they were located on Robson, Hornby, Denman and Burrard Streets as well as Beach Avenue. "The front doors were damaged, some papers were stolen. We're trying to find a suspect right now and of course being in the business district there's a lot of surveillance video around, so we're hoping for some clues."
There's no known motive, but police are looking into whether the crime was fueled by homophobic hatred.