14-Year-Old Arrested On Suspicion of ‘Hate Crime Vandalism’

A Coachella Valley teen was back on the streets Monday after a weekend arrest for what authorities called hate crime vandalisms.

Three separate incidents were reported to the Palms Springs Police Department on Saturday within a span of three hours.

Anti-gay slurs were scratched on cars and painted on homes in a Palms Springs neighborhood.

Neighbors were glad the suspect was caught, but they said no motive can justify such actions.

“It’s malicious behavior,” said Robert, a concerned neighbor who lives across the street from where the first incident was reported Saturday on the 2000 block of Magnolia Road. “Their cars had been vandalized with words that I can’t repeat — that you couldn’t play on television, and their front door and their mailboxes.”

The home belongs to two legally married men, according to Robert, who also mentioned that this is the first time an incident like this has occurred in his neighborhood in the years he’s lived there.

The second incident was reported to the PSPD at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

A garage door on the 2000 block of East Via Escuela had been spray painted with anti-gay slurs and illustrations.

“It was a hate crime,” said Michael Nau, an upset neighbor, who lives across the street from the second victim.

“The garage door said ‘mofo’ and ‘gay’ on it across the street with silver paint,” he said.

Nau’s neighbor tried to cover up the slurs as best she could. But Nau said she ran out of paint.

“You got one lighter color on the right side and a darker color on the left,” he said.

The victim is a lesbian currently in a relationship, according to Nau.

But it’s unclear whether the 14-year-old suspect who targeted this home or any of the others, knew that any of the victims are gay.

“Nobody deserves that on their house, anybody, anywhere, any color, race, creed — wherever you’re from,” said Nau.

A third report of vandalism in the same neighborhood was reported at 10:20 a.m. that same morning on the 2100 block of Deborah Road, and it was related to the other two crimes, according to the PSPD.

President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law last October, which expanded the federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s gender, sexual orientation or gender identity.

“It’s apathy,” said Nau. “People don’t care anymore and morals are getting depleted as time goes on.”

Hate crimes based on sexual orientation were up more than 17 percent in 2008, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The teen suspect was arrested on Sunday night and then released into the custody of his guardian.

He was charged with vandalism and damaging property to violate civil rights.

Anyone with any information about this crime is asked to contact Palm Springs Police Detective Villegas at 760-323-8136 or Crimestoppers at 760-341-STOP.