Three tourists from Germany have been cited after participating in a paintball shooting that defaced road signs, bathrooms and trash bins throughout Joshua Tree National Park in California, park officials said.
According to a press release from the National Park Service (NPS), on Sunday, a ranger patrolling the Jumbo Rocks Campground in Joshua Tree National Park noticed “fresh splashes of yellow paint on structures and signs.”
Upon further investigation of the paintball splatters, the ranger saw a slingshot in plain view inside a vehicle.
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Three tourists from Germany used paintball guns and slingshots to vandalize signs in Joshua Tree National Park. (National Park Services)
Law enforcement officers were called to the scene and began questioning the visitors, who were tourists from Germany, who admitted to shooting paintballs with a compressed paintball gun and slingshot the night before.
Inside his vehicle, rangers recovered three slingshots, a paintball marker, paintballs and other related equipment as evidence.
Rangers also learned that at least 11 traffic signs along Park Boulevard, from the Jumbo Rocks campground to the Maze Loop trailhead two miles from the park's west entrance, had been shot at with yellow paintballs.
On Aug. 4, a ranger patrolling the Jumbo Rocks campground saw “fresh splashes of yellow paint” on structures and signs, park officials said. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
All three individuals were charged and issued a federal violation notice for vandalizing, defacing or destroying property.
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The violation carries a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine and/or no more than six months in prison, the NPS said.
PALMS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 28: Joshua Tree National Park on January 28, 2021 in Palms, California. (Josh Brasted/Getty Images)
Joshua Tree National Park Acting Ranger Jeff Filosa condemned the vandalism, calling it a waste of time for staff members who could be prioritizing other tasks instead of cleaning up the vandalism.
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“Defacing or altering the NPS landscape, no matter how small, is illegal,” Filosa said. “It defaces the natural environment that millions of people travel around the world to enjoy. The park is regularly tasked with removing graffiti of all kinds, using time and resources that could be better spent on other priorities.”
