On Thursday, July 21, at 12:56 a.m., officers of the Santa Monica Police Department went to the 2200 block of Virginia Avenue (Virginia Avenue Park) in response to a report of two men who had been seen spray painting slogans on the north wall of the park’s restroom facility building. When officers arrived, they saw two males who were exiting the park onto Pico Boulevard, but when these men saw the officers they ran back into the park, and continued northbound towards Virginia Avenue.
The officers established a perimeter and they discovered one of these suspects hiding in the bushes. The other suspect was not found. During their investigation the officers discovered that the painters had been using black spray paint to create gang graffiti at various locations throughout the park. The officers noticed that the suspect that they had found hiding in the bushes had black paint on his hands.
Witnesses also identified this man. The officers described this man as a documented gang member. This 20-year-old Los Angeles resident was charged with vandalism, promoting a criminal street gang, obstruction, and a parole violation. He was not eligible for bail.
Editor’s Note: These reports are part of a regular police coverage series entitled “Alert Police Blotter” (APB), which injects some minor editorial into certain police activities in Santa Monica. Not all of the Mirror’s coverage of incidents involving police are portrayed in this manner. More serious crimes and police-related activities are regularly reported without editorial in the pages of the Santa Monica Mirror and its website, smmirror.com
