SLO police looking for driver who damaged holiday decorations at Mission Plaza

A hit-and-run early Friday morning at Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo has prompted local police to request community assistance in identifying a suspect.

The driver damanged holiday decorations in the plaza, though the San Luis Obispo Police Department did not say to what extent.

Video surveillance showed that a 2016 to 2017 gray or silver Honda Civic Coupe drove “slowly through the Plaza, passed Santa’s House and into a lighted Christmas tunnel that ends at Chorro,” the Police Department said.

Then, the driver reversed and backed into Santa’s House and “several other decorations.”

The incident did not affect operations at Santa’s House, which opened and ran as normal on Friday.

“A security company has been contracted to help patrol the plaza during the holiday to protect activations,” a post across social media platforms said. “While making his rounds, a security guard discovered that Santa’s House and several other decorations had been damaged by an unknown vehicle.”

Currently, there is no suspect or suspect vehicle information, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact the on-duty watch commander at 805-781-7312. The reference case number is 221216003.

The Tribune reached out to the San Luis Obispo Police Department Friday afternoon for more details, with no follow-up yet.

This story was originally published December 16, 2022 at 5:38 PM.