Someone continues to shoot out car windows in the Lake Pinehurst area -- and evade the Pinehurst Police Department.

Monday marked the latest in a string of incidents involving an unknown person or persons who are, according to police, cruising through the neighborhood and shooting at auto glass with some sort of pellet gun.

Four more cars were damaged in the early hours of the morning, police said -- two on Burning Tree Road, one on Diamondhead Drive and another on Lake Forest Drive.

Capt. Floyd Thomas said 26 of these incidents have occurred since Aug. 1, and that 31 vehicles have been damaged. Thomas said that despite the department's best efforts, it still has no insight into who is behind them.

"We have no leads at all other than than we believe they're riding by in a car and shooting at and breaking the windows," he said Monday morning. "They seem to be concentrating on the Lake Pinehurst area."

The incidents usually happen late at night or early in the morning, he added.

Thomas said the department has stepped up patrols and has dispatched unmarked cars to the area. It even had a checkpoint one weekend, but the perpetrators moved over to the Longleaf Drive area instead.

"We can't be everywhere at the same time," he said.

Thomas is recommending that residents contact their local community watch groups if they see any signs of suspicious activity. The department is offering a reward for tips leading to an arrest and a conviction.

Thomas also encourages residents to park their cars in their garages if they have one. If not, they should at least park them in the driveway close to their homes instead of on the street, he said.

The police department will continue to pursue those responsible, Thomas said.

"We're a little frustrated at the situation," he said, "but we'll keep doing what we gotta do until we catch them.

"We just haven't had any luck."

Contact Staff Writer John Krahnert III at (910) 693-2473 or by e-mail at jkrahnert@thepilot.com