Venice High graffiti culprits caught, school officials say

Three suspects accused of tagging the walls of Venice High School with hate speech graffiti Tuesday night have been apprehended.

Principal Eric Jackson updated students, families, faculty and staff of the development in a phone call to the Venice High community Thursday morning.

“With the support of students, staff, administrators and our school resource officers, we identified the three individuals we believe to be responsible for the acts of vandalism,” he said. “VHS administration will continue to work with law enforcement and district personnel to hold these individuals fully accountable for their actions.”

Three boys are accused of trespassing on school grounds at around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday to mark the walls of the school with drawings of male genitalia and Nazi symbolism.

The incident happened just before the student body celebrated Unity Day against bullying on Wednesday. Jackson said that he was able to turn the incident into a “teachable moment” for students.

“This was an opportunity for all us to come together and take a stand against bullying and to stand united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion,” Jackson said.

This story was originally published October 26, 2017 at 12:37 PM with the headline "Venice High graffiti culprits caught, school officials say."