Three teenagers have been arrested after racist graffiti and several vandalized cars were found near a downtown Ottawa park.

Residents in the neighborhood of Old Ottawa East, near Springhurst Park, woke up Sunday to find several homes and cars had been tagged with bright red graffiti. At least one car had one of its windows smashed while another car had been damaged with footprints on the hood.

In Springhurst Park, a play structure and several benches were also tagged with spray paint.

While the graffiti has been scrubbed off, residents say it much of it was racist and offensive, including use of the N-word and swastikas.

“(It’s) a little shocking,” Wynne McGee-Harris, whose family got up early to help clean, told CTV Ottawa. “I know that hatred is there a lot, especially today, but it was just kind of weird to see it so close to home.”

The Ottawa Police Service has arrested three teenage males in connection with the alleged vandalism. Two of the suspects--aged 18 and 19--are charged with one count each of mischief to property over $5,000.

The third suspect, a minor, is charged with a single count of mischief to property under $5,000 and one count of assault with intent to resist arrest.

With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Annie Bergeron-Oliver