The Lake Elsinore Police Department has made two more arrests of suspected taggers.
Lake Elsinore residents Gilbert Rocha, 19, and Gabriel Orellana, 18, were both arrested Tuesday morning after deputies served a search warrant in the 14000 block of Cobblestone Lane in Lake Elsinore.
The two were “found to be in possession of numerous items linking both men directly to several dozen documented acts of vandalism. The damages caused by these actions are estimated at nearly $9,000,” the Lake Elsinore Police Department announced in a news release today.
According to the department’s released statement, “The warrant was obtained as part of an ongoing investigation into the destructive activities of one of the city's most active criminal graffiti groups.”
In addition to the graffiti vandalism charges, both men are being held in custody for alleged gang membership; Rocha is also being held on a probation violation, according to jail records.
Both men are due in court July 19, jail records indicate.
“Lake Elsinore Police Department and would like to advise all residents it will aggressively ” the department has stated on numerous occasions. According to the department, t
Anyone who witnesses a tagging in progress should call 9-1-1. To report past acts of graffiti vandalism, call the sheriff's dispatch non-emergency number at (951) 776-1099.
To make a request for graffiti removal, call the city's Graffiti Hotline at (951) 674-2701 or submit the request online at www.lake-elsinore.org.
