Watsonville Gang Member Arrested In $15K Tagging Case, Police Say

WATSONVILLE, CA — A Watsonville gang member was arrested this week in connection with a vandalism case that resulted in $15,000 of damage, police said Friday.

Manuel Gonzalez, 19, was booked into county jail on charges including child endangerment, according to the Watsonville Police Department. Officers arrested him after serving a search warrant at his home, and finding items linking him to the vandalism case and an illegally modified handgun that could be accessible to a child, police said.

Gonzalez is accused of covering a bathroom building and hand-painted mural at River Park with gang tagging, police said.

The Santa Cruz County Gang Task Force and Watsonville Police Department Special Investigations Unit served the search warrant at his home.