BURNSVILLE, Minn. — Burnsville police are investigating an incident of vandalism this month, which the homeowner believes may be targeted against his East African nationality and Muslim religion.
Yussuf Haji called police last week after hearing a loud bang and shaking throughout his Burnsville home early on Friday morning. According to a neighbor's surveillance video shared with KARE 11, noise can be heard before a car is seen driving away from the neighborhood. Haji said his garage was damaged and one of the family's cars had been pelted with eggs.
Haji, who moved to Burnsville last year and has written extensively about why he was forced to leave St. Cloud, said it's part of a pattern. Previously, he said the mailbox at his Burnsville home has been knocked down twice, and that in another instance, someone littered toilet paper across his lawn.
"If it's a prank, if it's hate, if it's racism... whatever it is, someone has put investments into this. We've worked hard, my wife and I. It's taken us a lot to buy a home," Haji said. "Whatever it is, it's not right."
In response, Burnsville police said, "We don't have enough information to indicate if it was racially motivated, but police are checking with neighbors to see if any of their cameras caught anything."
According to a Burnsville Police report, officers observed the family's "garage door was dented and damaged inward...." and that a Toyota in the driveway "had several eggs broken on it on the passenger side of the vehicle."
Officers took pictures of the damage to upload as evidence, the report said, but, "at this time, the identity of the suspect is unknown and this case will be inactive unless their identity is discovered."
If anyone is arrested for the crime, they could face a gross misdemeanor of third-degree property damage at the minimum, according to the report.
Haji said the repeated incidents have frightened his family and their young children.
"I have a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old in here," Haji said, "and it's scary."
He said he won't press charges if the person responsible will come forward and help fix the family's garage.
"Whoever is doing this, I would love for them to come meet me and my wife and my family," Haji said. "We are willing to accept the apology."
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