SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Authorities were seeking the public's help Tuesday in identifying a suspect in a series of hate crimes that occurred in several locations around San Diego since December of last year.
The crimes include graffiti on churches and religious shrines of different denominations in the neighborhoods of Bankers Hill, Golden Hill, Hillcrest and North Park, according to the San Diego Police Department. The graffiti contained slurs targeting specific religions, police added.
Police said surveillance cameras captured footage of the suspect on each of the properties, but their locations were not immediately available.
"The suspect always arrives on foot during the early-morning hours, completes the vandalism using black spray-paint, and leaves on foot. The victims have been the target on numerous previous incidents," the department stated.
The suspect was described as a heavy-set white man between 25 and 30 years old. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, with dark- frame eyeglasses, dark covering on his face, dark pants and black shoes with a white sole.
He sometimes wears a sweatshirt with the words "BLTS SWATS" printed on the front, police said.
Authorities urged anyone with information about the identity or whereabouts of the suspect to call the SDPD's Criminal Intelligence Unit at 619-531-2331 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
Crime Stoppers, in partnership with the San Diego GLBTQ+ Historic Task Force and the Hate Crime Fund, is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in the cases.
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