Man Accused of Painting Swastikas Faces Charges

SHERMAN OAKS — A Granada Hills man was charged Thursday with two dozen criminal counts on suspicion of painting swastikas at an apartment complex with mostly Jewish tenants, authorities said.

Claudio Marcelo Petrello, 31, was arrested about 2:30 a.m. when he entered the Sherman Oaks complex to paint more of the symbols, said Det. Harvey Surrena of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys station.

The case was reviewed by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, which filed the charges by early afternoon, said Deborah Sanchez, the deputy city attorney handling the case.

Petrello was charged with 11 counts of committing a hate crime, 11 counts of vandalism and two counts of using a symbol for the purpose of terrorizing people.

Petrello is an Argentine of Italian descent with no past criminal record, authorities said.

“He gave a complete statement as far as why he did it, which I can’t disclose,” Surrena said.

To protect the residents, the location of the complex could not be disclosed either, authorities said.

Surrena and Det. Esther Kunz began investigating the case in July after residents reported swastikas appearing in the lobby of the complex. The detectives set up surveillance and saw Petrello enter the complex, Surrena said, adding that a security camera in the building caught him in the act.

On Wednesday, armed with an arrest warrant, Surrena and Kunz set up surveillance again.

When they saw Petrello nearing the complex, they put out a radio call for backup. A helicopter began circling the premises, and Petrello was arrested without incident when he entered the building.

Many neighbors, who were on their balconies after being awakened by the helicopter, applauded and cheered as Petrello was taken away, Surrena said.

There have been 23 hate crimes reported this year in the area patrolled by the Van Nuys station, Surrena said. Those are defined as crimes perpetrated on an individual because of race, nationality, religion or sexual orientation.

Although finding painted swastikas around town is not that uncommon, Surrena said, Petrello’s alleged crimes stand out because he targeted a building he knew was inhabited mostly by Jews, probably because the mailboxes list the tenants’ names.

“This was at a Jewish residence--a place where [a swastika] has significant meaning,” Surrena said.

Petrello posted $50,000 bail and was released pending his arraignment, scheduled for today, Sanchez said.