Four More Apprehended for Alleged Connection to Graffiti

Orange County Sheriff’s deputies apprehended four more suspected vandals accused of spray painting graffiti in San Juan Capistrano.

The recent arrests bring the total to seven since last week.

Lt. John Meyer, chief of police services for San Juan, said deputies detained four individuals, an adult and three teenaged boys, near freshly sprayed graffiti in the 32000 block of Camino Capistrano Saturday evening.

Searching the group, deputies found three cans of paint, in green, blue and black, Meyer said. They also found a receipt for the paint.

Arrested on suspicion of vandalism was Jaime Morales Gonzales, 18, of San Juan Capistrano. The three 16-year-olds were interviewed and released into the custody of their parents, Meyer said.

“The investigation is ongoing at this time as additional graffiti vandalism tagging was located by deputies in the underpass in the area of Avenida Padre and Los Amigos. The tags were all sprayed in the green, black and blue,” he said.

“Deputies will continue to remain vigilant for this type of activity and residents are encouraged to report any suspicious individuals/activity directly to our dispatch center 949-770-6011 or call 9-1-1 for crimes in progress,” Meyer added.