Four men including a former Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employee have been charged with multiple felony counts for spray painting graffiti on buildings in Downtown Los Angeles and the Miracle Mile, including a historic Art Deco building at Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. 

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell and Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the charges at an Oct. 15 press conference at LAPD Headquarters. The vandalism occurred from August 2025 to August 2026 and caused $175,000 in property damage. 

Hochman said the suspects used ladders, ropes and specialized climbing equipment provided by former LADWP employee Javier Rezendez Rocha, 38, of Los Angeles, to climb onto the rooftops of buildings, rappel down the sides and spray paint their tagger crew monikers. In addition to Rocha, who police said goes by the nickname ENDEM, the defendants include Michael Ray Gonzales, 40, of Pico Rivera, who goes by the name “SKEAM,” Francisco Rodriguez Aguilar, 37, of West Covina, and Richard Evan Ward II, 45, of Oceanside. All four of the defendants committed the graffiti tagging in unison, with Rocha providing the expertise and equipment to the others, authorities said. 

Rocha is charged with 12 felony counts of vandalism of $400 or more and faces more than 10 years in jail. Gonzales is charged with seven felony counts of vandalism and faces seven years in jail. Aguilar and Ward are both charged with two felony counts of vandalism and face two-year sentences.  

The crew is accused of tagging the historic E. Clem Wilson building at the northeast corner of Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue overnight between Jan. 24-25. Police said a third suspect in that incident, who goes by the moniker EXR, has been identified by police but is still being sought. The damage cost the building owner $29,000 to repair, police said. 

“This isn’t a bunch of kids that decided to go on some type of lark because they were bored one night, to go ahead and grab some spray paint and tag some buildings,” Hochman said. “No, these are grown men, adults who decided that they were going to profit over the desecration of buildings by their graffiti.” 

The district attorney said the crew used aerial drones to film themselves tagging and posted the footage to social media. Hochman said the social media posts allowed the defendants to expand their reputation and monetize their criminal activity. Rocha was selling T-shirts and artwork with the ENDEM moniker online, police said. The shirts and artwork were seized as evidence when officers served a search warrant, along with ropes and climbing equipment. The items were displayed at the press conference at police headquarters. 

“This investigation reflects the city’s broader commitment to addressing vandalism and restoring pride in our neighborhoods,” McDonnell said. “From commercial buildings and historic properties, the alleged suspects targeted high-profile locations in an effort to maximize attention, while property owners, businesses and taxpayers paid the bill. To date, investigators have connected the suspects to acts of vandalism at 12 locations throughout our city, including 11 buildings in and around Downtown Los Angeles and one location in the Mid-Wilshire area. The 12 locations identified so far may not represent the full scope of the damage caused by this group, and we believe additional crimes may be ultimately identified.” 

Rocha, who was employed by the LADWP as an electrical craft helper since 2018, is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 23, and Aguilar is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 19, both in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Downtown Los Angeles. Ward pleaded not guilty on Oct. 12 and is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 19. Gonzales will be arraigned at a later date, the district attorney’s office said. The defendants were released on their own recognizance pending court proceedings. 

Hochman said the arrests are a warning to graffiti vandals and taggers that authorities are cracking down. He said graffiti destroys neighborhoods and quality of life, and it will not be tolerated. 

“This is not artistic expression. This is sheer greed, sheer profiteering at the expense of all of us,” Hochman said. “We are not going to allow our city to in any way resemble New York City in the 1970s, or any city that is plagued by graffiti that destroys the quality of life. This is part of an ongoing investigation of individuals engaged in this type of conduct. The message is crystal clear: you will be arrested, prosecuted and punished.”