7 Arrested for Scrawling Graffiti at Repainted Site

Los Angeles police officers arrested seven people Friday for scrawling graffiti on the walls of Venice Beach’s Graffiti Pit--just a handful of the people who have come to draw on the beige walls since they were inadvertently painted clean last weekend.

Five juveniles were arrested and charged with illegal possession of spray paint cans and skipping school, and were detained at the Venice Beach police substation until their parents picked them up. Two adults were charged with vandalism and released, said Police Sgt. Alora Axworthy.

“I drove up and I was surveying the Pit for graffiti and they were all standing there with spray cans,” Axworthy said. “They looked at me and continued spray-painting.”

Although the city pointedly leaves the colorful images and words on the Pit alone, police regularly arrest people spraying graffiti there, Axworthy said.