Man defaces hand-painted mural with graffiti

Manuel Gonzalez, 19, is accused of causing more than $15,000 in damages to a bathroom building and a hand-painted mural at River Park on January 6.

Sadly, the detailed mural and the building were covered in gang tagging.

Officers from our Special Investigations Unit were assigned to the case and identified Gonzalez as the suspect.

Earlier this week, SIU and the Santa Cruz County Gang Task Force served a search warrant at Gonzalez’s home and found items linking him to the gang tagging.

An illegally modified handgun, easily accessible to a child, was also found inside the home.

The suspect was booked into the county jail on several felony charges, including child endangerment.”