REWARD OFFERED FOR PELLET-GUN VANDALS.

Byline: Josh Kleinbaum Staff Writer

Every time Harold Feldman pulls up to his store and finds a shattered window, he feels himself pushed closer to the edge.

On Monday, for the second time in two weeks, Feldman discovered the window in front of his store, The Doll Shoppe, shot out by a pellet gun.

``If we don't do something about this, they're going to put me out of business,'' Feldman said Tuesday. ``I'm at wit's end. I don't know how to proceed, but this is getting ridiculous.''

Each broken window costs Feldman $500 to replace, and he's weighing whether to install security cameras. In the meantime, he figures there's a way to put his money to better use.

Feldman offered a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the broken windows.

``I'd pay $1,000 to find these people,'' Feldman said. ``I'd encourage other merchants or people who have had their windows shot out to do the same.''

Other businesses in the area have suffered similar problems.

The Riverside Medical Building, located next to the Doll Shoppe, replaced its rear window with Plexiglas because vandals with pellet guns broke it so frequently. The building's front window was shot out, along with those of about a dozen businesses and 20 cars, during a vandalism spree on Aug. 10.

``We get hit sporadically,'' building manager Joe Castaneda said. ``We know we will get hit again.''

About one or two businesses in the Sherman Oaks area sustain broken windows each week due to vandalism, Los Angeles police Detective Daniel Moran said.

While police do think one group is responsible for the Aug. 10 spree, Moran said other incidents appear unrelated.

``When you add up what's going on with all of these people, the amount of money being lost, it needs a special effort,'' said Feldman, whose shop also was targeted on Aug. 10. ``I don't understand the mentality - they think it's a kick to shoot out windows. It bewilders me.''

City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel believes that awareness to the problem will help solve it, so she plans to ask the LAPD to meet with business improvement districts and chambers of commerce in Sherman Oaks and Studio City.

``The public can be critically important in solving some of these crimes by being part of the solution,'' she said.

But the pellet-gun incidents are difficult to investigate because most of then happen late at night with few witnesses.

``We haven't had any luck at all,'' Moran said. ``We haven't gotten any leads, no clues, nothing significant to go on right now.''

The medical building's security camera caught a glimpse of a white two- door car that appeared to carry the perpetrators in the Aug. 10 incident, although the quality of the image is not very good, Castaneda said.

``It shows the car go by, and all of a sudden, (the window) gets crystallized,'' Castaneda said.

Josh Kleinbaum, [phone]

josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com

-- Anyone with information on the pellet gun shootings is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department at [phone].