Alleged gang associate in graffiti arrest

An alleged Toonerville gang associate was arrested Tuesday after he was seen spray-painting graffiti along a wall on Raleigh Street in South Glendale, police said.

The alleged associate, Victor Escalante, 21, of Glendale, was one of dozens of gang members who were served with a court-ordered injunction against Toonerville and its activities.

On Tuesday, police responded about 9:07 p.m. to witness reports of graffiti at Raleigh and Glendale Avenue and tried to stop Escalante, according to Glendale police reports.

Police were able to catch up to and detain him after he allegedly tried to flee.

He was arrested on suspicion of vandalism and resisting arrest.

Escalante later told investigators that he spray-painted the gang’s name to get recognition, Det. Jeff Davis said.

Escalante was arrested on March 22 for violating the court-ordered injunction when he was found loitering at Palmer Park, Davis said.

The order forbids those named in the injunction from going to Glendale’s Palmer Park and Chevy Chase Park just across the Los Angeles border.

Violating the order is a misdemeanor, and an alleged gang member can serve up to a year in jail and pay a $5,000 fine.

The injunction also forbids the alleged gang members from selling or possessing drugs, weapons and graffiti tools, using lookouts, trespassing, loitering and intimidating people who live and work within the so-called Los Angeles River-Glendale safety zone.

Those named in the injunction must obey a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily curfew.