PANORAMA CITY : Gang Member Jailed on Graffiti Charge

A Panorama City gang member arrested for carrying a knife got into more trouble at a Van Nuys police station when officers caught him scribbling graffiti on a detention bench, a city prosecutor said.

It was the second time in six months that a gang member has been prosecuted for vandalizing the Van Nuys station with graffiti while in police custody, Deputy City Atty. Gary Geuss said.

Officers arrested Jose Ruben Rosales, 24, on Thursday morning, saying they had seen him toss a 10-inch knife under a car as they approached in the 8600 block of Willis Avenue. Rosales was taken to the Van Nuys station where he subsequently used an ink pen to scratch his street nickname and the name of his gang on a wooden bench in the detention area, Geuss said.

Van Nuys Municipal Commissioner Kirkland Nyby sentenced Rosales to 45 days in jail, two years probation and ordered him to pay a $50 fine Friday after he pleaded no contest to charges of vandalism and possessing a deadly weapon.

“People sometimes think vandalism is harmless fun,” Geuss said. “But the people who vandalize are often the people who carry weapons and pose a threat to society.”

After a similar act, Gilberto Perales, 29, was sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years probation for leaving graffiti in an interview room at the Van Nuys station while officers waited outside, prosecutors said.