A 25-year-old San Francisco man was arrested in Santa Cruz early Saturday morning after he was allegedly caught vandalizing a police car.
Police also accused suspect Kitt Hall of vandalizing property across the city and causing $8,000 worth of damage.
At 12:05 a.m., a police officer was conducting a check at the Red Room bar in the Santa Cruz Hotel when hotel security detained Hall.
Hall had just spray painted the building and the officer’s patrol car parked outside, according to Santa Cruz police.
Police searched Hall and found him in possession of several vandalism tools, including a yellow can of spray paint, a silver metallic marker, multiple spray-painting tips, and a glass-etching tool.
The hotel staff searched the property, located at 200 Locust St., and found the Red Room’s bathroom had been vandalized with a silver metallic marker.
The word “SWORN” was prominently tagged in the bathroom.
Police looked through Hall’s phone and found several images of the “SWORN” moniker stored on it.
The word was later found written in yellow paint on properties in the 700 block of Pacific Avenue, 900 block of Pacific Avenue and 200 block of Laurel Street.
Police believe Hall is also responsible for more than a dozen vehicle vandalisms in the area of Cedar and Cathcart streets. Symbols and monikers were etched into the windshields of the vehicles.
The damage will cost more than $8,000 to repair, police said. The Santa Cruz Hotel’s management estimated the building had suffered about $1,250 worth of damage.
Hall was arrested for felony vandalism and booked into San Cruz County jail.
