Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Public Safety

Suspected Serial Tagger Accused Of Leaving Mark In San Diego Courtroom

A fresh moniker found in a San Diego courtroom led sheriff's deputies to an 18-year-old man suspected of leaving his mark in about 60 other spots, a detective said Tuesday.

An investigation was started in late April when a court services deputy spotted fresh graffiti in several locations, including in the San Diego Superior Courthouse at 220 W. Broadway, said sheriff's Detective Mark Milton.

A deputy used the "Graffiti Tracker" system to document the tags and check for related tags, which Milton said led to Francisco Canseco, who had been arrested by San Diego police on suspicion of 60 other cases of graffiti.

Advertisement

Milton said the suspected prolific tagger also brazenly left his moniker in the courtroom where he was being prosecuted for vandalism.

On Thursday, sheriff's deputies searched Canseco's San Diego home and found graffiti-related evidence that linked the teen to the courthouse vandalism, Milton said.

Canseco was re-arrested on suspicion of five felony vandalism counts, he said.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.