Youths throwing stones from Cardiff bridge smash car window leaving dog covered in glass, man says

Waldo, the German Shepard, was left covered in shards of glass, said Mr Harris.

Youths who threw stones from a bridge smashed a rear car window and left a dog covered in shards of glass, a man has claimed.

Carl Harris, from Cardiff, had been driving towards the slip road for Culverhouse Cross on the A4232 when the incident occurred.

The 59-year-old said he was travelling in slow-moving traffic on the inside lane when he heard a loud bang and initially thought he'd been hit by another car.

The incident left his dog covered in shards of glass: "It was a shock because of the noise it made. After the bang I looked in my rear mirror and saw all the damage to my rear windscreen - I had to pull into the side of the road quickly as my dog was in the back and I had to make sure he was safe."

He added that Waldo, his German Shepard, was a "mistreated dog" before he became his owner and is naturally nervous.

Mr Harris said he was thankful he was in slow-moving traffic.

"This has added to his anxiety now as he was in the boot of the car - harnessed up - when the windscreen glass shattered and had nowhere to go. He was physically shaking from the trauma and remained unsettled into the night."

The two were on the way home from a walk at Fforest Fawr when incident took place just before 5pm on Thursday (October 27).

Mr Harris said when he glanced into his side mirror, he claimed he saw around three young teenagers run away from the scene towards Ely. He believes that they had thrown a stone which hit his window, although it did not enter the car.

To drive home, Mr Harris had to push all the glass into his car before continuing his journey: "I called the police and reported it at 5.10pm, they were going to send out a patrol vehicle to look for the boys.

"I was advised that there is only a traffic flow camera on the bridge and I know that there is no CCTV camera near, as it's where I often go walking. They [SWP] called me back later to advise that it was highly unlikely that I would hear back from them due to no CCTV."

Waldo was a "mistreated dog" before Mr Harris became his owner and is naturally nervous.

Mr Harris said he was thankful that traffic was moving slowly on the 70mph road as it would have been "a different scenario if a car was travelling fast and had a stone going through someone's front windscreen."

The car will cost £115 to fix through his insurance excess, which he says isn't ideal during a cost-of-living crisis: "I also have to wait until November 9 for a new window to be fitted.

A spokesperson from South Wales Police said: "Throwing objects into the path of moving vehicles is incredibly dangerous and the public can be reassured that those caught behaving in such a reckless manner will be dealt with.

"It is fortunate on this occasion no one was seriously injured but significant damage has been caused to a vehicle. We appreciate how frightening this must have been.

"The local Neighbourhood Policing Team is aware of the incident and will be paying close attention to the bridge.

Anyone who witnessed this incident, has dash cam footage or has any information on those involved is urged to contact South Wales Police quoting reference number 364631.