LOS ANGELES, California, USA—On July 30, 2013, at 11:41 AM, officers from the Jurupa Valley Police Department responded to a report of vandalism at the Gurdwara, located in Riverside, near Los Angeles. Sometime overnight, vandals had spray-painted hate messages on the property calling Sikhs “terrorist”—in one case misspelled.
Investigators conducted a lengthy investigation into the vandalism that led to the arrest of a juvenile responsible for the temple vandalism. Subsequent investigation revealed that the same juvenile was also responsible for an ongoing vandalism spree that began in August of 2012, resulting in 33 separate vandalism crimes, totaling over $6,800 in damages.
The juvenile was arrested and booked into the Juvenile Detention Center for committing a hate crime and 33 separate counts of vandalism. Because the suspect in this case is a juvenile, the name and photograph will not be released. Investigators believe this crime is an isolated incident with no relation to the Oak Creek Gurdwara tragedy anniversary or other hate crimes.
Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Investigator Lantz at the Jurupa Valley Station (951) 955-2600.
