Second Man Arrested in Venice Vietnam War Wall Vandalism

VENICE, CA - A second man has been arrested and charged in the vandalism of a beloved Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Venice.

Luis Daniel Medina, aka "Pheb" faces on one felony count of vandalism with over $400 in damage and one misdemeanor count of possession of tools to commit vandalism or graffiti, prosecutors announced Thursday. Medina is a 20-year-old resident of Los Angeles.

The vandalism, which was discovered just before Memorial Day, shocked the community. The mural, which featured the names of soldiers who died in the war, was severely damaged. Because the original artist died, and because it's difficult to read all the names of the soldiers in photos of the mural, the community has been challenged trying to repair the damage.

Another man, Angel "Liter" Castro, 24, was charged July 15 with a felony count of vandalism with over $400 in damage, along with an allegation that he was convicted of robbery in 2015. He pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a pretrial hearing Nov. 16 at the Airport Branch Courthouse in Los Angeles.

Medina and Castro allegedly spra ypainted over the Veterans Memorial Wall, which is on the side of a building at Metro's bus yard on Pacific Avenue near Sunset Court. Prosecutors said the vandalism apparently occurred in late May.

"Suspect Castro admitted to his role in the vandalism of the Veterans Memorial Wall," Ramon Montenegro of the sheriff's Transit Policing Division said shortly after Castro's arrest in July. He has remained in county jail since then.

Medina was arrested Sept. 28 and released on bond a day later, according to jail records.

Vandals sprayed a thick sheen of silver paint over most of the 2,273 names of Vietnam veterans on the memorial.

The monikers "Liter" and "Pheb" were among the names found at the scene, along with "Noner" and "Snake," authorities said.

If convicted as charged, Medina faces more than three years in jail and Castro could face up to six years in state prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Painted in the early 1990s, the mural has a message at the top reading "You Are Not Forgotten" and bears the names of the soldiers counted as prisoners of war or missing in action in Vietnam.

Though most, if not all, of the paint was removed by volunteers before Memorial Day, the decades-old mural had no protective anti-graffiti coating so some of the original mural was destroyed in the process.

City Councilman Mike Bonin called the graffiti a "horrible insult to those who paid the sacrifice for their nation."

Bonin called on members of the public to provide photos to help in the restoration because the mural's artist, Peter Stewart, is deceased.

City and county officials offered $30,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest and conviction of all those involved.

City News Service contributed to this report. Photo credit: Jeff Nguyen/KCAL9 and Los Angeles Sheriff's Department