Trio of Teens Tried to Burn Down Part of Taft School, Police Say

Redwood City police are investigating a recent vandalism attack at a local school, in which it’s believed a trio of teens tried to burn at least part of it down.

The vandals— who are believed to be three Hispanic male juveniles approximately 14 to 15 years of age— set fire to foliage along the perimeter of Taft School on Sunday and spray painted graffiti on a school building, according to police.

“The graffiti appears to contain the letters ’STAY’ and is possibly related to a prior vandalism incident where the suspect tagged the words ’STAY TRUE’,” according to a police alert.

The attack was discovered when Redwood City police and firefighters responded to a fire at the school at 903 10th Ave. at 8:20 p.m., police said.

“Upon arrival, RCFD personnel found the ornamental foliage on a fence along the West side of the school on fire,” according to the police alert. “The fire was doused quickly and there was no permanent damage to the school or surrounding structures.”

In total, approximately 15 feet of an ivy-type foliage was burned “...in very close proximity to the buildings.”

The vandals also attempted to ignite several other sections of the school structure, police said.

Taft school serves students in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade and classes are scheduled to resume later this month.

Police are working to identify the suspects.

Police urge anyone with information about the crime to contact the Redwood City Police Department at (650) 780-7100 or Detective Joe O’Gorman at (650) 780-7147.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.