San Jose leaders on Friday announced that two suspected graffiti vandals have been arrested.
Police Chief Paul Joseph and Mayor Matt Mahan announced the arrests of 20-year-old Alex Garcia and 19-year-old Josiah Lopez-Villalobos, adding that both vandalism suspects face various charges.
Garcia is believed to be responsible for dozens of separate graffiti vandalism incidents across downtown properties since 2023, Joseph said. Authorities believe Garcia's graffiti featured the tag "GOOB."
Garcia was arrested on Tuesday, Joseph said. He faces multiple misdemeanor and felony vandalism charges.
Lopez-Villalobos is suspected of committing at least 19 separate gang-motivated vandalism incidents throughout the city, according to Joseph.
On April 11, Lopez-Villalobos was detained during a pedestrian stop and found to have spray paint and a concealed firearm on him, Joseph said. He was arrested and booked into jail for gang-motivated felony vandalism as well as firearm-related crimes.
"Violent crimes always command our highest priority and rightfully so, but we never lose sight of these kinds of offenses that collectively degrade our neighborhoods and our quality of life," Joseph said. "Graffiti is not a harmless prank. It is a crime that imposes cleanup costs on businesses, residents and our city."
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Mahan applauded officers for taking the vandalism suspects into custody.
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"Today's announcement sends a clear message: if you deface San Jose, you will be held accountable, so don't do it," he said.
Joseph encouraged the public to continue to report graffiti and other acts of vandalism by using the P3TIPS app or 311 app.
"The arrests happened because of the pride and vigilance our officers and our community members have in our city," Joseph said. "When you report a tag, a spray-painted wall or any suspicious activity, you help us connect the dots and stop offenders before they're able to strike again."
