For more than three months, the Huntington Palisades neighborhood has been targeted by an unknown group of vandals who have been egging and throwing watermelons at homes. One neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Palisadian-Post that the vandals she described as ‘kids’ have caused thousands of dollars of damage to her home and vehicles. ‘The eggs have left permanent marks on my home,’ she said, explaining that vandals have damaged the home’s exterior paint. ‘I don’t think they realize the kind of damage they’re causing.’ According to neighbors, the vandals, who have been described as mostly teens, have been purchasing their supplies at Ralphs. Several neighbors approached management at Ralphs and asked that they stop selling eggs to teenagers past 9 p.m., said a resident. ‘Numerous groups of youths in cars would pull up in the lot and go into Ralphs,’ said the neighbor. ‘We met with the night manager and asked them what their’current policy is when youths attempt to purchase eggs. The neighbor said that the night manager agreed not to sell the eggs to the teenagers, adding that soon after his conversation with Ralphs’ management, ‘a group of youths pulled up in a brand new Jetta, with no plates. They went in and attempted to buy eggs and Ralphs refused to sell to them.’   Several neighbors told the Post that they have gathered surveillance footage of the teenagers, but want to spread the word to get them to stop before pursuing legal venues. ‘The damage is so great now that these kids could be facing felony charges,’ one neighbor said. ‘I just don’t want to go there yet.’   LAPD Senior Lead’Officer Philip Enbody told the Pacific Palisades Community Council on August 9 that his department was aware of the vandalism incidents. He said he had observed teens hanging out at the recreation center ‘with nothing to do’ and encouraged the community to create events for teens that will help keep them busy. In regard to the vandalism, Enbody said that once school starts the incidents should die down.   However, this last week Huntington neighbors reported another series of egging attacks, as well as a group of teens seen trying to tip over a Port-A-Potty on Toyopa Drive.   ’After returning home this afternoon I was welcomed with eggs across my newly painted house and freshly cleaned windows,’ said a neighbor on the online forum, Huntington.nextdoor.com. ‘It’s bad enough to sit and watch not only teenagers but adults as well blow’through every stop sign as if they didn’t exist’ [but also] the break-ins, vandalism’I am sorry we moved here. Our dream home has become our nightmare.’   One neighbor told the Post he estimates the damages to his home and his children’s cars to be more than $10,000. ‘Something has to be done,’ he said. ‘One case of vandalism is one thing but this thing has really gotten out of control.’ When asked why he doesn’t call the police every time the vandals attack, he said: ‘Call them and say what? I live in the Palisades and I was just egged! We already have an issue with response time and I don’t want to bother them with this.’ However, these incidents are more than just a few random acts of vandalism considering the cost of damages, and those responsible could face serious punishment if they are caught. In California, if the amount of defacement, damage, or destruction is $400 or more, then the vandalism is punishable by ‘imprisonment in the state prison or in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or if the amount of defacement, damage, or destruction is ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or more, by a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment,’ according to the State Penal Code Section 594-625c.
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