Transient Arrested In SF French American School Graffiti Vandalism
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – A man suspected of leaving graffiti of an Islamic symbol at a French American school in San Francisco was arrested Wednesday, according to police.
The suspect was identified as 44-year-old Edward Vanwright, a transient and convicted sex offender, police said in a press release.
On Tuesday, officers responded to the French American International School in Hayes Valley and found someone had spray-painted an eight-pointed star with a crescent moon and the number seven on wall of the playground.
The emblem is associated with the Five Percent Nation, an offshoot of the U.S.-based Nation of Islam religious movement.
Video surveillance captured a person entering the playground overnight when the school was closed, police said.
Officers patrolling the area of Masonic Ave. and Fulton St. Wednesday saw a person resembling the individual seen on the surveillance video and detained him, police said.
Vanwright was booked on misdemeanor charges of trespassing and vandalism. He was also charged with being a sex registrant on school grounds.
Police said investigators determined there was insufficient evidence to charge Vanwright with a hate crime, and there was no connection to terrorism or threat to the school.
Carlos E. Castañeda is Senior Editor, News & Social Media for CBS San Francisco and a San Francisco native. You can follow him on Twitter or send him an email.
