San Marcos CA– A prolific tagger was arrested in San Marcos. On May 2, 2014, deputies assigned to the San Marcos Sheriff’s Station Community Policing Unit arrested a 15 year old male juvenile for committing 90 separate incidents of graffiti in the San Elijo area of San Marcos, as well as in the city of Vista. The graffiti, with an estimated damage total of almost $24,000, consisted of a black marker being used to “tag” the suspect’s monikers, which were identified as “SMILEZ”, “SMILES”, and “SMILE”.
The juvenile, currently in custody for a prior probation violation, has ties to a San Marcos street gang. The juvenile was interviewed at Juvenile Hall and confessed to his participation in the graffiti. The investigation is still ongoing.
Deputies utilized the graffiti tracking software Graffiti Tracker to assist with their investigation.
Anyone with information about this case can call the Sheriff’s Department non-emergency line at (858)565-5200. You can remain anonymous and be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Call Crime Stoppers at (888)580-8477.