Community
Arrest of Vandalism and Hate Crime Suspects
| Nature of Incident: | Arrest of Vandalism and Hate Crime Suspects | |||||
| Report Number(s): | 24-129878 | |||||
| Location: | City of Thousand Oaks | |||||
| Date & Time: | October 2024 | |||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | East County Investigations Property Crimes Unit | |||||
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | ||||
| (S) Johann Bernhardt Patrick (S) Matthew Rakowski |
Thousand Oaks Simi Valley |
18 18 |
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| Narrative: | ||||||
| On October 15 and 16, 2024, two suspects were arrested for their involvement in a felony vandalism and a hate crime that occurred in the city of Thousand Oaks. On October 14, 2024, Thousand Oaks Patrol Deputies received a report of two suspects who were captured on video surveillance committing graffiti vandalism on the walls of a commercial building. The graffiti contained explicit hate speech and symbolism that targeted specific protected classes. Through investigative resources, detectives identified the suspects as Johann Patrick and Matthew Rakowski along with their associated vehicle. On October 15, 2024, detectives located Patrick in the city of Thousand Oaks and took him into custody. A residential search warrant was conducted at Patrick’s residence where additional evidence tying him to the crime was obtained. On October 16, 2024, detectives located Rakowski in the city of Simi Valley and took him into custody. During the arrest, additional evidence was located tying Rakowski to the crime. Both suspects were booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Ventura for violations of PC 594(b)(1) – Felony vandalism, PC 422.6(b) - Violation of Civil Rights, and PC 182(a)(1) – Conspiracy to commit a crime. Both Patrick and Rakowski have upcoming court dates at Ventura County Superior Courthouse. The city of Thousand Oaks is an extremely safe community. However, this sense of safety is occasionally exploited by the criminal element. The Thousand Oaks Police Department would like to remind citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious people and vehicles by promptly calling 911 or our non-emergency line of (805) 654-9511. If you see something, say something. |
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| Prepared by: | Detective T. Behrend | |||||
| News Release Date: | 10/17/2024 | |||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective K. Walters Phone number: (805) 494-8232 E-mail: [email protected] |
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| Approved by: |
Captain Kevin Lynch |
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Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511