San Diego police are seeking three suspects in a hate crime after an LGBTQ-flag-themed fence in Scripps Ranch was vandalized on Valentine’s Day. Authorities have released home surveillance video and are asking for the public’s help in identifying the individuals.
The incident, which occurred around 3 a.m. on Feb. 14, involved three people spray-painting anti-LGBTQ slurs on a rainbow-colored fence and removing a yard sign that read, “Hate Has No Home Here,” according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) and Crime Stoppers.
The targeted home belongs to Brittany Fuller, a Scripps Ranch resident who told NBC 7 that this was the latest in a series of over 20 hateful incidents since she painted the fence three years ago. Fuller reported previous attacks involving feces, eggs, food, and drinks being thrown at her property. She told NBC 7:
He was in my backyard with a hammer. That’s dangerous. That’s awful. And then, in addition, wrote hateful messages on my property, on a symbol of love. This is not just vandalism … this is not just a crime. This is hate, and it’s targeting, and that’s against the law.
The surveillance video shows three individuals, believed to be men in their late teens or early 20s, wearing dark clothing. One suspect was seen wearing glasses and athletic shoes, possibly Nike Free Run. The suspects fled northbound on Semillon Boulevard. The stolen anti-hate sign was later recovered by a neighbor.
“As much as you want to deface it, it’s going to be fixed, and it’s going to look better than it was before,” Fuller said, vowing to maintain her fence as a symbol of love despite the repeated attacks.
In partnership with the San Diego GLBTQ+ Historic Task Force and the Hate Crime Fund, Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is urged to call the SDPD’s Criminal Intelligence Unit at 619-531-2331 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477. Tips can also be submitted online.
