Monterey Park, CA. - Graffiti vandal Angel Castro was sentenced four years in State Prison last Friday for his part in a graffiti case that severely damaged a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in the Venice area last June. Suspects were identified by the diligent work of LASD Metro detectives, including TPD Detective Mike Thibodeaux, a graffiti and tagging crime expert.
Castro and two
of the four suspects involved in the case were apprehended by Thibodeaux in July following a thorough investigation of the four identifiable monikers. The trail led to
Bay
Area tagg
ers and back to the Los Angeles area. LA County Sheriff's Transit Policing deputies have extraordinary experience and a countywide reach in the investigation of graffiti cases.
One suspect in the case is still outstanding and is believed to be in the Bay Area.
In July of last year, Thibodeaux's investigation revealed the name and potential location of the tagger, Angel Castro, known as "LITER." Thibodeaux and members of the Sheriff's Transit Policing Crime Impact Team discovered a possible location for the suspect and executed an arrest warrant taking Castro into custody. According to Sheriff's reports, Castro was taken into custody without incident.
Detective Thibodeaux explained that the investigation and arrest of criminal graffiti taggers is an important part of the Sheriff's Transit Policing Division regional public safety efforts. "This case received attention because of the iconic status of the wall targeted by the taggers," Thibodeaux said. "We put the same effort into solving similar crimes across Los Angeles County. We see it not just as transit safety, but as an overall effort to preserve and improve the quality of life for Los Angeles area residents."
Detective Mike Thibodeaux is a 22-year-veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and a 22-year-member of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs -- ALADS -- the certified bargaining unit representative for more than 7,200 deputy sheriffs and district attorney investigators.
