Police arrest suspect in church vandalism

NEWPORT BEACH -- Police arrested a 20-year-old Orange man Sunday on

suspicion of spray-painting gang monikers on the outside walls of a

Catholic church, officials said.

Guillermo Omar Amaro allegedly caused about $500 in damage to the Our

Lady of Mount Carmel church in the 1400 block of Balboa Boulevard,

Newport Beach Police Sgt. Steve Shulman said.

He said Amaro painted the gang monikers with gray paint on two walls

at the church -- one on the outside wall of the parking lot and the other

on the wall of a kitchen at the church’s community center. The writing

covered about 16 square feet on each of the walls, officials said.

Police found words that are associated with a particular gang, Shulman

said.

The incident was reported about 6:40 p.m. Sunday. Officers arrested

Amaro at the corner of Balboa and Palm Street an hour later.

Church officials said they did not believe the incident was a hate

crime.

“I don’t think they knew what they were doing,” said Msgr. Daniel

Murray. “I don’t think they even knew this was a church.”

Murray said graffiti is seen in the neighborhood from time to time.

“A year and a half ago, there was some graffiti in one of the back

alleys,” he recalled. “But I don’t think we have gangs locally here in

Newport Beach. These are just kids from outside coming here to the beach

for the weekend.”

The pastor said he believes the city is “pretty tame” as a community.

“I’m not shaken up or anything,” he said. “I’m just a little

surprised.”

Amaro is being held in Newport Beach jail with bail set at $10,000.

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .