A Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employee is among four men facing felony vandalism charges after prosecutors say they spent a year tagging buildings across downtown Los Angeles and the Mid-Wilshire area, using climbing gear and drones to pull off the stunts and then cashing in on the attention. Javier Rezendez Rocha, 38, of Los Angeles faces 12 felony counts, the most serious charges among the four defendants.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced that Rocha and three co-defendants were charged in connection with the alleged yearlong spree, which prosecutors say caused nearly $173,000 in damage. Rocha has worked as an LADWP electrical craft helper since 2018, and as reported by the Los Angeles Times, he joined the department as an aide to electricians that same year.
Damage figures vary depending on the source. The Daily News and the DA's office put repair costs at $172,930, the Times reported more than $170,000, the Beverly Press & Park Labrea News cited $175,000, and Yahoo's report put the figure at about $200,000. The alleged crimes occurred between August 2025 and August 2026, according to prosecutors.
Climbing Gear, Drones and Alleged City Property
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the accused used climbing equipment and drones to record the vandalism and allegedly profited from it. Hochman said one defendant allegedly used climbing equipment to reach locations to damage buildings, some of which are significant to Los Angeles's historical and architectural fabric. Rocha and his co-defendants allegedly used drones to record footage of the graffiti vandalism and generated profits through merchandise sales, per the DA's office.
The Times reported that city-owned rappelling equipment was allegedly used during the incidents and displayed online. Some of the addresses listed in the criminal complaint match historic downtown corridor buildings such as the Cameo Theatre and the Roxie Theatre, the same outlet noted. The Beverly Press reported that investigators connected the suspects to vandalism at 12 locations throughout the city, including 11 buildings in and around Downtown Los Angeles and one location in the Mid-Wilshire area, with other incidents tied to Pershing Square and the area near Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said the defendants allegedly targeted iconic city buildings and public spaces. CBS Los Angeles reported that the investigation involved months of surveillance, search warrants, digital evidence and social media analysis, a process confirmed in a statement posted by the LAPD announcing the arrests of vandalism suspects tied to the downtown graffiti spree.
Charges and Potential Penalties Vary by Defendant
Rocha was charged with 12 felony counts of vandalism of $400 or more in defacement with graffiti and could face up to 10 years and four months in county jail if convicted, according to the Daily News. He is set to be arraigned on October 23.
Michael Ray Gonzales, 40, of Pico Rivera was charged with seven felony counts and could face up to seven years in jail; no arraignment date has been set for him, per the same account. Francisco Rodriguez Aguilar, 37, of West Covina faces two felony counts and a maximum of three years and eight months behind bars, with an arraignment scheduled for Monday. Richard Evan Ward II, 45, of Oceanside also faces two felony counts carrying the same maximum of three years and eight months.
Ward has already pleaded not guilty and is free on his own recognizance while awaiting his next court appearance, set for November 19, the Daily News reported.
A Citywide Graffiti Problem Beyond This Case
The case lands against the backdrop of a graffiti problem that touches nearly every corner of Los Angeles. The city logged 317,372 graffiti reports in 2024, its lowest annual count since 2018, according to XTown. Even so, Los Angeles typically logs between 25,000 and 30,000 graffiti clean-ups per month, and January 2025 alone brought 30,561 reports, more than any single month the previous year, XTown found.
Boyle Heights was tagged more than any other community in 2024, with over 29,000 clean-ups, per XTown's analysis. The city aims to respond to MyLA311 graffiti calls within 72 hours, though individual cases can carry steep costs — the Beverly Press reported that the alleged tagging of the historic E. Clem Wilson building alone cost its owner $29,000 to repair, according to police.
