Santa Barbara Police Catch Graffiti Vandal in the Act

KSBY: (Video)

Santa Barbara Police think they've nabbed one of the city's worst graffiti vandals.

The teen was caught in the act at the railroad crossing on Calle Cesar Chavez on the east side of Santa Barbara.

It's not very common for police to stumble upon a crime in the process of being committed, but that's just what happened on a set of Santa Barbara railroad tracks Thursday evening.

The suspect? A 14-year-old Carpentaria boy.

On a routine patrol of Calle Cesar Chavez crossing, two bicycle officers expose a trespassing teen caught in the act of a self-admitted rash of taggings.

Spotting the officers, the teen fled down the tracks on foot.

With a police dog, officers chased the teen, who eventually surrendered and disclosed to police the volume of the vandalism he's committed.

"This juvenile did admit to tagging about 60 to 70 locations throughout Santa Barbara, Goleta and Isla Vista and so we're hoping this arrest will prevent future acts of graffiti vandalism," said Santa Barbara Police Department Lieutenant Paul McCaffrey.

The teen, a Dos Pueblos High School student, told officers he frequently uses the letters B, U, R, G, and L, as his tagging insignia.

He said it stands for "burglar."

His chosen targets have included MTD bus windows, a Goleta golf course and a location called the ‘jail house' which is a concrete block between Goleta Beach and Isla Vista.

Lieutenant McCaffrey said the arrest is considered a significant one. They hope it will decrease the teen's apparently busy graffiti activity.