Tagger runs afoul of dozens of L.A. County deputies gathered in Commerce

A 22-year-old graffiti tagger picked the wrong place Friday to leave his mark: a glass door at an aquatic center in Commerce that separated him from 100 Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies discussing having enough backup when chasing suspects, authorities said.

Joshua Vasquez looked shocked as a throng of deputies began running toward him, said Capt. Mike Parker, who was teaching the class. Vasquez turned and ran as at least 40 deputies crammed through the doorway to get him, Parker said. Vasquez tripped over his own feet and fell, Parker said, and deputies restrained him.

As it turned out, the incident was instructive to the deputies, who were participating in a training meeting.

“We were discussing the importance of having backup when engaged in foot pursuits,” Parker said.

That’s when the entire class was drawn to the doorway, where it looked like the suspect was waving at them, Parker said. “It turns out we could see him, but he couldn’t see us,” he said.

Not lacking in backup, the deputies gave chase. But the suspect didn’t give up so easily, and he kicked out the rear window of a sheriff's cruiser before being further restrained, authorities said.

Vasquez was booked on suspicion of felony vandalism to the glass door and to the cruiser.

-- Richard Winton

Comments

[kuruc]

put him in the slammer and throw away the keys for a few years.

[Tornadoes28]

Damn that must have been a funny sight.

[wideeyed]

Yippee. He demonstrated the full definition of what a tagger is. I drove past the men's central jail today. The opposite side of the street is tagged beyond recognition. Not a mark on the jail grounds. Why? The cowards know that they will go down with security cameras and sheriffs around. The are all cowards. Little roaches doing hit and run, coming out in the dark and shooting the good people who confront them . Send the illegals packing and 80% of the tagging will disappear. Scum is what they are. I'm glad he's going down for a felony. They should all go down for felonies. And they should all have to do a minimum of six months of cleaning up tagging. Doubled for a second offense. Quadrupled for a third.

[Winmancan]

I always thought that a proper punishment for taggers, would be an open house tagging party at their home. With a cop present, any one could enter and tag anything and everything in and around the residence...the structure itself, furniture, pictures, clothes etc. As most of them still live in their parents house, it would hopefully get the parents more interested in what their kids were doing. And, if they have their own home/apt. it would ruin everything they have. Just a dream of mine

[jaxmeov]

I would pay $10 to see the look on this moron's face when the deputies started running out of that aquatic center like the Keystone Kops...

[Ed]

This is the funniest story I read all week. That idiot got exactly what he deserved.

[H manjares]

"hands on training" & " team effort" tax money well spent.

[Timothy]

"A street kid gets arrested, gonna do some time. He got out three weeks from now just to commit more crime." - G. M. Flash

[thinline72]

well, the world needs ditch diggers too.

[Christopher W.]

Simply awesome!

[Dee]

"Vasquez tripped over his own feet and fell"
Thats about says it all, I bet you could hear the pea rattling in his head during the fall.

[P Vernon]

God, that's beautiful. No doubt this was a public, county facility and taxpayers' glass this punk was vandalizing. He should have to pay three times the value of that glass replacement, and stand there while it's replaced (without a cellphone or Ipod to entertain him).

[Bill]

I think this occurrence is a great example of why our country is sliding down hill quickly. You have millions of illegals flooding into our country, many who commit crimes, take our tax money all due to the Federal government being more worried about getting reelected than following the constitution. Now the country is going broke fast. Hold on tight. The ship is sinking fast.

[Cris]

Where does it say Vasquez is an illegal....? Oh yeah, let me guess all you racist ignorant idiots assume he is. I'm proud that he got what he deserved and will do time, but they should cut his hands off lets see if he can tag with his feet. lol

[45 year old man]

hey!

i am a thirteen year old, yet I appreciate the delicate irony of the situation.

[hidden101]

Look at all the racists assuming this guy is an illegal alien when it says nothing of the sort in the article. Illegals don't get felonies, they get deported, geniuses.

And to the person that said he should have his hands cut off for spraypainting a window- how disgusting and barbaric. He needs a chance to be rehabiltated first. Many people have commited minor non-violent crimes and have went on to be good citizens if given the chance. How do you know he wasn't pressured into it by growing up in an environment that pressured him into it? If you never give these people a chance, they will almost certainly continue to commit crimes.

[Boudreau]

I think the crime is simply an act of attention getting and finding your place. He was obviously trying to impress someone, or get someones attention, or simply misplacing aggression. Regardless of his reasoning, putting the boy in jail will do nothing, jails don't rehabilitate anyone. They condition you to continue down the very path they supposedly prohibit. If you get put in a place with a bunch of other criminals, you tend to start hanging out with a bunch of criminals (not to meniton guards that can be mentally and physically abusive, further alienating you from society). Before you people take the moral high ground, re-check the moral grounds of the institution you are defending. I'm not even going to rant about your misplaced feelings of aggression concerning "Illegals", and how they aren't the reason your economy is going to implode (hint the system is broken, and no amount of duck tape e.g. bailouts, will fix it). Find out the facts before laying the blame.

[paula]

ohhh i know him !!!!