Arrests were announced Thursday in what authorities described as a graffiti vandalism spree in downtown Los Angeles that targeted high-profile buildings.
The four arrests were in connection with cases of vandalism at a dozen locations. The suspects targeted high-profile locations, including commercial properties and historic buildings, LAPD Jim McDonnell said.
The twelve locations likely do not represent all locations damaged by the crew, which McDonnell described as “sophisticated” in their use of social media and technology. They used drones to record the crimes and shared video on social media, he said.
A city employee was among those arrested. The employee worked for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power since 2018, county District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.
Some of the suspects are in their 30s and 40s, he added.
“This isn’t a bunch of kids that decided to grab some spray paint,” Hochman said. ” These were grown men who decided they were going to profit over the desecration of public buildings.
“They want to get eyeballs on their social media. They want to sell merch. They think they’re some kind of cool rock back that gets to sell merch.”
Some of the suspects resided in communities outside LA, the chief said.
“Criminals are traveling from across the county and around the world to de-face our buildings,” McDonnell said.
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