Are raccoons intelligent enough to be malicious?

Even though I have been attacked by a raccoon before (came through my screenless window and crawled on my head while I was sleeping—thought it was my cat, but its mouth felt different and its nocturnal habits were more like Freddy Krueger rather than a cat)—I still welcomed them as wildlife with all the other wildlife, critters, and strays.

But when the raccoons (not even the cats) started eating the birds, and ultimately, killed two robins last winter in order to eat the eggs, I stopped feeding or encouraging the raccoons and began driving them away with loud noises and thrown objects. Raccoons are vicious. They will kill cats and dogs and other wildlife, and are not afraid of people. They stand up and hiss and will slash you with their claws if you don’t outthreaten them.

They still are wildlife and not actively malevolent—they just do what raccoons do. So I’ve made no effort at killing or poisoning them, though I have considered it. However, since I’ve been driving them away and stopped feeding and encouraging them, I have noticed them destroying potted flowers (just pulling them out and leaving them on the ground) and knocking things over. I know they have witnessed me working in the garden before.

Vegetables and seeds I understand they want. But Marigolds are not tasty to any known creature, and because they have watched me work on these plants and statuary I cannot help think they are maliciously destructive—especially since this behavior started when I started running them off. And they do it en masse.

Are these killers actually smart enough to be deliberately malicious? Do I need to but some Kill-a-Coon? I see little difference between these things and rats, except raccoons are more like Nightmare on Elm Street with their claws.