Chick-fil-A vandalism under active investigation, police say

Torrance police said the vandalism at a local Chick-fil-A restaurant last week amid the ongoing national debate about the chief executive's opposition to gay marriage is under investigation.

But no arrests have been made, even though an artist reportedly took responsibility for the vandalism.

"Tastes Like Hate" was painted on the side of the Torrance restaurant Thursday night, the eve of "National Same-Sex Kiss Day," when couples were asked to take photos of themselves kissing at Chick-fil-A restaurants to show support for gay rights.

Torrance police Sgt. Steve Jenkinson said detectives were aware that local gay artist Manny Castro had taken credit for the graffiti in an interview with the Huffington Post but said no arrests had been made as of Monday morning.

"Our investigators are still working the information that they have," Jenkinson said. "We're still actively investigating."

Patrols were stepped up near the city's Chick-fil-A locations after the vandalism, Jenkinson added, but no other restaurants have reported problems.

The vandalism came during a week of demonstrations at Chick-fil-A restaurants nationwide. Huge crowds turned out Wednesday for "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" to support company President Dan Cathy, who recently expressed his opposition to gay marriage in an interview.

"Everybody is entitled to free speech, but it seems like for the gay tribe, this is more of an issue of equal rights — human rights," Castro, the artist who said he was behind the graffiti, told the Huffington Post on Friday. "I'm against what these people stand for, what this company stands for. They're trying to take away what little rights we already have."

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— Kate Mather 

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