Dozens of rose plants were cut down in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park earlier this week, a police spokesman said today.
Police are trying to find out who cut down 36 plants in the park’s Rose Garden at some point late Wednesday or early Thursday, police Officer Albie Esparza said.
It was the latest act of vandalism in the park in recent months. According to Recreation and Parks Department spokesman Elton Pon, at least 45 trees were either felled or damaged between mid-May and late July in several separate incidents.
Investigators have not determined whether the tree vandalism is connected to the cutting of the roses.
“At this time, there’s nothing that indicates they are related, but it’s something our investigators are always looking at,” Esparza said.
The person who tends to the garden left the area at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, and returned to find the vandalism the following morning at 7:30 a.m., according to Esparza.
The person tending the garden doesn’t believe the plants were killed, Esparza said.
“They were cut down to their bare sticks but are alive and will grow back,” he said.
Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to contact the Police Department’s Richmond station at (415) 666-8000 or the anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444.
People can also send tips via text message to TIP411.
