‘Mister Ugly’ Tagger Arrested on Vandalism, Drug Charges

Police arrested a 23-year-old male in Rancho Bernardo Community Park on Thursday after a sergeant saw him tagging an electric box with the moniker "Mister Ugly," police said.

A police sergeant was in the area and saw the man, who started running, San Diego police Officer Susan Steffen said. The sergeant chased after the man and caught him, finding an extra three full cans of black spray paint and markers in his backpack, she said.

The man is accused of spraying the monikers "Mister Ugly," "Surf" and "Sir Feo" in and around the electric box.

An accomplice was able to get away, said Steffen, who is the community relations officer in the San Diego Police Department's Northeastern Division.

The first man also appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance, Steffen said. Police are asking for anyone who has seen these monikers to call the division at 858-538-8000.

Vandalism has been a problem—though helpful, in one case—in the Northeastern Division. In May 2011, street signs in Rancho Bernardo were spray painted with the images of male genitalia. A few months later, around Labor Day, two teen girls were raped in a Rancho Peñasquitos Park. Graffiti in the area helped lead police to the teen boys who would later be convicted in the rapes.