Los Angeles city employee among four charged in downtown graffiti spree – Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles city employee among four charged in downtown graffiti spree  Los Angeles Times

Four men — including a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employee — were responsible for more than $170,000 in damage to downtown buildings during a yearlong graffiti spree, prosecutors alleged Thursday. Javier Rezendez Rocha, who joined LADWP as an aide to electricians, was charged with 12 counts of felony vandalism in connection with the string of incidents that lasted from August 2025 to August 2026, according to a criminal complaint. Rocha and three other men are accused of using "specialized equipment" to spray-paint tags and other markings down the sides of buildings, recording their actions with drones, according to a statement issued by the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. “These defendants turned buildings across Los Angeles into their personal billboards, leaving property owners with over $170,000 in repair costs,” Dist.

Atty. Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “Their alleged motive: not artistic expression but money and social media eyeballs. They are accused of going to extraordinary lengths to commit these crimes, using climbing equipment and drones to record their vandalism then allegedly profiting from it." Some of the addresses listed in the criminal complaint match those of historic downtown corridor buildings such as the Cameo Theatre and the Roxie Theatre. Another incident took place inside Pershing Square and one happened outside downtown near the intersection of Wilshire