A 28-year-old man suspected of perpetrating multiple acts of graffiti vandalism throughout Riverside was out of custody Tuesday.
Christopher Daniel Vargas of Riverside came under investigation earlier this summer after the Riverside Police Department’s Gang Intelligence & Graffiti Unit identified him as the alleged vandal involved in “tagging” at different locations.
Vargas was arrested Thursday on suspicion of felony vandalism and being in possession of controlled substances while armed. He posted a $25,000 bond and was released before the start of the holiday weekend.
Officer Javier Cabrera said investigators linked the suspect to property defacement not only within city limits, but in neighboring communities. Most of the alleged acts involved the suspect writing his moniker, Cabrera said.
A search warrant was obtained and served at Vargas’ apartment in the 3100 block of Panorama Road, near Olivewood Avenue, where investigators seized “150 spray paint cans, hundreds of ink markers, custom spray nozzles and paint rollers with extended handles,” according to the police spokesman.
“Illegal narcotics and a semiautomatic handgun were also located,” he said.
According to Cabrera, anyone who reports an act of graffiti vandalism which results in the apprehension and conviction of the vandal is eligible to receive a $1,000 reward from the city.
More information is available at riversideca.gov/publicworks/graffiti/enforcement-reward.asp.
Background information on Vargas was not available. He’s tentatively due in court for arraignment in November.