Stanford Police identify suspect in SAE graffiti, issue warrant

Just over a month after announcing an investigation into the SAE house being tagged with hateful graffiti, Stanford Police have announced the identification of a suspect. The incident, which is being investigated as a hate crime, was discovered around April 26 and was accompanied by similar spray paintings on nearby residences and buildings on Mayfield Avenue and Campus Drive.

In a statement to The Daily, Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) Public Information Officer Bill Larson said that a warrant for the suspect’s arrest was out on suspicion of committing a hate crime.

The graffiti in question, which was first discovered at SAE’s house at 1047 Campus Drive, was in gold spray paint. Similar graffiti was later found at other buildings in the area, including BOB and Casa Italiana. BOB is across the street from Hillel House at the Ziff Center for Jewish Life, which is also on Mayfield Avenue and less than a mile from the SAE house.

The symbols spray-painted included swastikas and pentagrams as well as other hateful slurs. “The suspect does not appear to have any direct ties to the university,” added Larson in the statement.

“Stanford Police are not releasing additional information at this time,” said Larson, citing the fact that the investigation was still ongoing. “[We] will keep the campus community informed as additional events occur,” he said.

“I am deeply troubled by the act of vandalism, including symbols of hate, that has marred our campus,” said Hennessy an April email to The Daily. “The University will not tolerate hate crimes and this incident will be fully investigated, both by campus police and by the University under our Acts of Intolerance Protocol. This level of incivility has no place at Stanford.”

The graffiti came three weeks after Molly Horwitz’s allegations against Stanford’s Students of Color Coalition, which sparked discussions on campus about what constitutes anti-Semitism. The vandalism also took place just as Admit Weekend concluded in April.

Contact Nitish Kulkarni at nitishk2 ‘at’ Stanford.edu.