SAN FRANCISCO—A San Francisco resident by the name of John Schenone, 62, was arrested by San Francisco police officers on Tuesday, September 8. Schenone had allegedly been connected to the viral vandalism graffiti of tagging “NO MORE CHINESE!” in parks, on walls, residences, buildings, and fences within the San Francisco, Portola neighborhoods.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, Schenone was spotted at the 1200 block of Bayshore Boulevard, and taken into custody for matching the description of a person and vehicle that officers had been searching for.
Officer Grace Gatpandan disclosed that SFPD officers were able to target and identify Schenone shortly after the reported vandalism with the public’s assistance, surveillance video footage, and an unidentified witness who assisted in the identification process.
Schenone has been charged with a hate crime and several counts of vandalism. He made his first appearance in court on Saturday, September 12, and pleaded not guilty to one felony and at least two misdemeanor offenses.
Public defender Yali Corea-Levi has agreed to represent Schenone after he stated to Judge Edward Torpoco that he could not afford an attorney.
Upon investigation, officers discovered four guns in Schenone’s home, which has given Judge Torpoco and prosecutors reason to believe that Schenone poses a threat to public safety.
Corea-Levi requested that Schenone be released from custody on the basis that generally all other suspects in vandalism cases are released. Judge Torpoco assessed Schenone to be a public safety threat and denied the request.
Corea-Levi stated that there is currently no evidence that Schenone possessed any guns during the alleged spray-painting, and does not believe Schenone to be a public threat solely because he owns guns.
Torpoco has set Schenone’s bail to be $155,000. Schenone is slated to appear in court again on September 24, at 9:00 a.m for a preliminary hearing.
Anyone with additional information or video is encouraged to contact the Special Investigations Division Hate Crime Unit at (415) 553-1133, the SFPD Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444, or Text A Tip to TIP411 and include “SFPD” at the beginning of the message.
