Arrest Made For Racist, Anti-Semitic Slurs Sprayed In Antioch: PD

ANTIOCH, CA — Antioch police have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of spray-painting racist and anti-Semitic slurs, including swastikas, and other vulgar phrases Sunday and Monday on cars, a church, City Hall and several other buildings in downtown Antioch. Police said Laurence Phipps, an Antioch resident, was taken into custody Tuesday morning after a search of his home allegedly turned up evidence connecting him to the crime that left the downtown area "heavily damaged."

"Numerous businesses and vehicles were defaced with offensive words and symbols," police wrote on social media. "This criminal behavior is not reflective of our community or our beliefs. ... As members of this community, we are saddened and disappointed."

Police said Monday they were aggressively investigating the incidents, which included releasing surveillance images of the person they believed may have been responsible.

Based on that surveillance video as well as tips from the community, Phipps was identified as a suspect, police said.

In announcing the arrest of Phipps, Antioch PD shared photos of clothing that appeared to match what the suspect was seen wearing in the surveillance images.

According to police, the suspect was seen on surveillance vandalizing a city-owned vehicle on Sunday morning. That same person was also seen in the area on surveillance Monday morning, although he was not seen committing a crime.

Although several locations were vandalized, including Antioch City Hall on Sunday and a church Monday morning, police said they did not believe the suspect, now identified as Phipps, targeted any specific places.

The first incident happened on Sunday around 9 a.m. after someone reported the vandalism in downtown. When officers went to investigate the area, they found three city vehicles, a City Hall door and a business had been vandalized with spray paint.

Monday morning, officers again received a report of vandalism in the area. Upon arrival, officers found black spray paint on numerous locations, including the Church of God-Holy near West Third and G streets, police said.

In a video posted to the Church of God-Holy's Facebook page, Pastor Eugene Jackson showed the extent of the vandalism at the church. The video, embedded at the bottom of this article, shows swastikas painted on the church's front door and other parts of the building's exterior.

"... Here is a black church in the city of Antioch and that is what is on our new building," Jackson said as he showed the damage.

Antioch Mayor Sean Wright said the vandalism "is not part of our community and doesn't represent our community."

The public was asked to contact the Antioch Police Department if they recognized the person in the surveillance images or had any information that would assist in the investigation.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Photos via Antioch Police Department Facebook page