San Jose graffiti artists arrested in separate vandalism cases
Authorities in San Jose arrest two prolific graffiti artists in separate cases
Authorities in San Jose announced the arrest of two prolific graffiti artists in connection with separate cases. They say the men had plagued the downtown area for months.
San Jose - Authorities in San Jose announced the arrest of two prolific graffiti artists in connection with separate cases, saying the men had plagued the downtown area for months.
One suspect allegedly tied to 70 tagging incidents
What we know:
Authorities said 20-year-old Alex Garcia was responsible for nearly 70 incidents of vandalism targeting commercial, public, and private properties. The graffiti was consistently tagged with the moniker "GOOB," which became a key element in linking the cases.
The second arrest was of 19-year-old Josiah Lopez-Villalobos.
When he was taken into custody, authorities said they discovered he was carrying a concealed firearm and spray paint. Lopez-Villalobos was charged with firearm-related crimes, in addition to gang-motivated felony vandalism.
Authorities said they are trying to send a message that those who deface property in San Jose will be found and held accountable.
‘It’s disrespectful'
What they're saying:
At San Jose's Gong Cha tea shop, employees are relieved. While it's painted over now, their building was tagged. They called it a violation and an extra expense.
"This is where I work, to have vandalism like that, it's just disrespectful," said Thung Tang, a barista at Gong Cha.
Authorities said they are cracking down in hopes more graffiti won't go up.
"Even though graffiti is not a violent crime, it creates a feeling of a lack of safety, a feeling that there's disorder in the community. So getting on top of these things, stopping them, stopping our most prolific taggers is really important," said San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph.
San Jose's mayor has taken to documenting every violation he sees.
"I am constantly harassing Caltrans, PD, district attorney. I take it very personally," said Mayor Matt Mahan.
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He said dealing with blight has become far too costly and that the focus has to be on more than just eradication and education; there needs to be enforcement too.
"We pick up over 10 million pounds of trash and cover up over 3 million square feet of graffiti every year. And that's been growing at a rapid clip, far faster than revenues are growing. That means it's crowding out spending on other things we want to spend our money on," Mahan said.
Authorities said technology and calls from the community helped identify the suspects in this case. They hope the arrests act as a deterrent for others. Residents said they're just glad the city isn't turning a blind eye.
"I think it is important to take care of it because if you don't, it just tells others to continue and the mess gets worse and worse," said San Jose resident Daryl Eggers.
Authorities are encouraging anyone who sees graffiti to call or use the 311 app to make a report.
The Source: San Jose Police Department, Mayor Matt Mahan