Witnesses said a man broke the glass on this basement window and vandalized a utility room Wednesday night at Place Ste. Marie on Oxford Street in Lewiston. (Mark LaFlamme/Sun Journal)

LEWISTON — Witnesses said a man broke into a basement utility room at Place Ste. Marie on Wednesday night and ripped out a water heater before fleeing through a broken window.

Police captured the suspect, said to have suffered cuts and a possible broken leg, after the vandalism spree was reported at about 9 p.m.

One witness said the man, described as in his late teens, caused damage inside the basement room before fleeing. Among the damage, the witness said, was either a water heater and pipes that had been ripped up, causing the room to flood.

When police first arrived at the Oxford Street apartment building, they followed a trail of blood outside the sprawling complex as they searched for a suspect. By 9:30 p.m., they were questioning a teen in the back of an ambulance as he was being treated for cuts and other injuries.

One Place Ste. Marie tenant said the suspect knocked on his apartment door after fleeing the vandalized boiler room. He said the man appeared to be bleeding from a foot.

Police were joined at the scene by fire crews who were inspecting the damage Thursday night. A building manager was also being called to the scene.

As the scene was investigated, a few tenants stood out in a common area at the middle of the building complex. Fire crews said that some of them might not be able to return to their apartments because of the damage.

“This place didn’t use to be like this,” said one tenant, as he went to talk to police about what he had seen.