Two male juveniles were arrested in connection with a string of anti-Semitic vandalism in Palm Desert, as investigators Monday continued to search for a separate suspect caught on video drawing a swastika on a storefront.
Deputies were called to the 73000 block of El Paseo shortly before 10 a.m. on April 30 in response to a vandalism report, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Surveillance video showed the man drawing the swastika on a storefront window with a marker, sheriff’s officials said.
The suspect remained at large, and sheriff’s officials released a photo of him Monday in an effort to identify him.
On May 4, deputies responded to another vandalism call around 7:39 a.m. in the 45000 block of Deep Canyon Road, according to the department. They found an electrical box spray-painted with swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti, sheriff’s officials said. Additional similar graffiti was found at other, unspecified locations across the city.
Surveillance video and credible tips from the public led to the arrests of two male minors, whose names were withheld due to their age, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Daniel Milbrandt. The Riverside County Probation Department has filed charges against them.
Anyone with information regarding the identity of the man was urged to contact Investigator Grasso at 760-836-1600, or anonymously at the Riverside County Crime Stoppers.