Suspect Arrested In Brentwood Anti-Semitic Graffiti-Spree

LOS ANGELES, CA — Police arrested a man believed to be behind a series of bizarre and anti-Semitic graffiti from the Westside to Calabasas.

Israel Herrera Perez, 44, was in custody Friday morning on on suspicion of felony vandalism for allegedly vandalizing three schools in the Beverlywood, Pico- Robertson and Brentwood area and spray painting more than a dozen cars. Perez was held on $120,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles police and sheriff's departments.

"Investigators were also able to connect Perez to similar acts of vandalism in the Calabasas Community in Los Angeles County," the LAPD reported in a statement. "The investigation is ongoing and no additional suspect(s) have been identified at this time."

Police have not identified a motive for the vandalism spree.

Police on Wednesday had released video footage of a person thought to have scrawled graffiti throughout the West Los Angeles area between Saturday and Monday.

According to the LAPD, "numerous" vehicles were spray-painted with graffiti between 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday in the Beverlywood and Pico- Robertson areas.

On Monday around 9 p.m., three Jewish schools along the 15000 block of Mulholland Drive were vandalized with spray paint. The same night between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., more vehicles were vandalized "in a similar manner near the Brentwood and Westwood communities of Los Angeles," according to an LAPD statement.

According to a report on the website LAist.com, the Westside campuses where the anti-Semitic graffiti was found included American Jewish University in Bel Air and Westwood Charter School.

The video released by the LAPD showed someone wearing a red hoodie getting out of and back into what appeared to be a gray or silver sedan.

The vandalism incidents in Calabasas occurred between Monday night and Tuesday morning, and involved two dozen vehicles that were spray-painted, authorities said.

The vandalism occurs as the Westside grapples with a string of disturbing anti-Semitic incidents.

In an apparent unrelated case, police in Beverly Hills said a 24-year- old Pennsylvania man was arrested Wednesday in Hawaii on suspicion of vandalism of religious property, commercial burglary and a hate crime allegation for allegedly breaking into Nessah Synagogue at 142 S. Rexford Drive about 2 a.m. Saturday and causing significant damage to some items inside.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.