Man Arrested for Hate Crimes for Defacing Buildings with Racist Messages
Photo: Jacob Leigh caught on camera
SAN RAMON — An 18-year-old man is accused of hate crimes for defacing commercial buildings with racist messages. He was arrested thanks to help from the public in identifying him.
Reports of hate crimes began pouring in on the morning on July 7th. Someone had spray painted racist messages on three buildings in the area surrounding Crow Canyon Road and Camino Ramon.
With assistance from San Ramon Police Department officers, employees at the businesses cleaned the buildings. It was done quickly to limit public exposure to the racist messages.
One of the locations defaced was U.S. Bank at 2190 Camino Ramon. Police surmise the suspect forgot that ATMs have security cameras. As it happens, the cameras recorded the hate crimes being committed.
First, San Ramon police distributed photos of the suspect to nearby law enforcement agencies seeking to identify him. After a few days with no leads, police turned to the public for assistance. They distributed photos of the suspect on social media.
“The response from the San Ramon Community was overwhelming,” said police in a prepared statement. “Their commitment to justice, inclusion and equality shined through, with displeasure for crimes of this nature.”
After receiving numerous tips, San Ramon detectives positively identified the suspect. On July 11, detectives served a search warrant at a residence in San Ramon. However, the suspect was not there at the time, but authorities recovered criminal evidence.
Later the same day, Jacob Leigh, 18 of San Ramon, turned himself in at the San Ramon police department. Detectives arrested Leigh and he was taken to the Martinez Detention Facility. He was booked there, with bail for his release set at $40,000.
Leigh presently faces charges for hate crimes and vandalism.
