San Jacinto Youths arrested for “Tagging” Graffiti Around Town
San Jacinto, California - On March 11, 2008, the San Jacinto Problem Oriented Policing Team (POP Team) completed another graffiti investigation resulting in the arrest of a 16 year old male juvenile. The investigation revealed evidence and the identity of the suspect responsible for defacing public and private property since July 2007. The suspect was linked to 645 square feet of graffiti defacement that occurred at 38 different locations around town via the Graffiti Tracker database. The estimated total amount of damage committed by the suspect is in excess of $6,450. The suspect is a student at the San Jacinto High School.
Over the past week, two additional incidents have resulted in the arrest of other “taggers” within the city. One 17 year old male juvenile was observed by district employees damaging San Jacinto High School property on a weekday night. They attempted to stop the suspect, however he fled the campus. An employee observed a San Jacinto patrol unit in the area and notified him of the incident. The patrol officer broadcast a description of the suspect and a perimeter was established around the school.
As a ground search started, the Sheriff Department’s helicopter arrived on scene and located a male matching the suspect description at a nearby by shopping center. POP Team deputies responded and after a short foot pursuit captured the suspect. The suspect was positively identified by District staff and arrested for vandalizing 7 doors on the campus. The juvenile was linked to 2 additional graffiti crimes via the database for an additional 130 square feet of damage. The total amount of damage is estimated at $2,000.
On February 29, at about 10:20 am, patrol officers responded to graffiti vandalism in progress. They located and arrested a 13 year old male for spray painting graffiti on block walls in the area of Sussex Rd. The juvenile was linked to 9 incidents and 135 square feet of damage in the area. The total amount damage is about $1,350.
To date: 20 (19 juveniles and 1 adult) suspects have been identified and linked to more than $63,450 in damage in more than 516 graffiti incidents.
The City of San Jacinto, the San Jacinto Unified School District, San Jacinto Public Works, City Attorney, and the San Jacinto Police Department have joined together to aggressively combat the problem of wanton and willful damage to public and private property. As a reminder, the Graffiti Program telephone numbers are:
Graffiti Removal : 654-4041
Tip & Reward Line: 537-6407
If anyone has additional information regarding this investigation, please contact the San Jacinto Police Department (951) 654-2702.