3 Adults, 1 Teen Caught Vandalizing Empty Home In Marin County Report: Police

NOVATO, CA — Officers arrested three adults and detained one teen boy after they found them in an empty house damaging the property, police said.

At around 9:30 p.m. on Monday, the Novato Police Department said they received a call from a resident walking their dog who said they heard shouting and the sound of items being broken from a vacant house on Seventh Street.

Upon arrival, officers said they heard sounds of breaking glass. They followed these sounds to a nearby vacant house where they located four young men. Police said the suspects were using flashlights and actively damaging the property.

Police said they detained Frisli Mazariegos Escalante, 20, Oseas Rivas Velis, 18, and Luis Chaj Chanchaval, 19, and teen boy under the age of 18.

Police said multiple vehicles in the area were also vandalized, with windows broken and graffiti spray-painted. The house itself also sustained damage, with estimated losses in the thousands of dollars, police said.

Mazariegos Escalante, Rivas Velis, and Chaj Chanchaval were booked into Marin County Jail on charges of felony vandalism, felony burglary and conspiracy, police said. The teen was issued a citation for these same crimes and released to his parents.