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Swastikas painted on cars at CLE dealership

Posted at 10:20 PM, Feb 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-12 22:30:50-05

More than a dozen cars at a Cleveland used car dealership had windows smashed in and were covered in graffiti early Friday morning.

Owner of Biggie's Auto Sales Abe Ayad said they discovered the vandalism later in the day.

The auto store sits across the street from Biggie's Food Mart on E. 55th and Cedar -- a place that's no stranger to controversy.

For years, Ayad has painted graphic images on the sides of the gas station's walls, causing outrage within the neighborhood and within City Hall, with Mayor Frank Jackson promising to have them taken down.

In return, Ayad sued the city but later dropped the lawsuit.

Last July, the store was raided by federal agents. Ayad said it was the third time such a raid had happened.

FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson said Biggie's corporation later pleaded guilty to food stamp fraud.

The damages to the cars range from spray-painted obscenities to swastikas scrawled on the side of a prized Corvette.

Ayad filed a police report for vandalism and ethnic intimidation, but Cleveland Police have no suspects at this point.