Two men arrested for vandalizing Black Lives Matter mural in Santa Cruz
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) -- UPDATE 7/24/21 9:29 p.m. Santa Cruz Police say they have arrested two people accused of vandalizing a Black Lives Matter mural in front of city hall.
Police identified the suspects as 20-year-old Brandon Bochat and 19-year-old Hagan Warner. Both are accused of "burning out" along the mural and causing tire tread marks to stretch along the mural's lettering.
They're booked on felony vandalism and conspiracy to commit a felony charges, according to police.
Santa Cruz Police announced Saturday night they'll be hosting a community meeting regarding the incident Sunday, July 25th, at 11:00 a.m. at the Santa Cruz Police Department on 155 Center Street.
Police say if you would like to submit a question in advance, please call (831) 420-5844 and leave your question in a voicemail.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Santa Cruz Police are looking into the person or people responsible for vandalizing a Black Lives Matter Mural overnight.
In a tweet by Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills, you can see the mural has black lines marked over the yellow block letters that initially read "Black Lives Matter."
Chief Mills referred to the incident as "offensive to all of @CityofSantaCruz and its residents."
The mural was initially painted onto Center Street in front of City Hall in September 2020 as a way of "laying the foundation for an ongoing racial equity initiative that will be integrated into the community's annual Juneteenth celebrations" at the time.
The mural was to be put in place in solidarity with other Black Lives Matter murals across the country and was the "brainchild" of Santa Cruz artist, Abi Mustapha, according to the city of Santa Cruz.
