By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com
Two teenage boys were arrested today on suspicion of theft, vandalism and burglary at schools in the Foothill Farms area.
The Twin Rivers Police Department received a report about 6 a.m. of two suspicious individuals on a roof at the Foothill High School football stadium. The two appeared to be trying to steal the air conditioning unit, police said.
An officer arrived, spotted the individuals and tried to contact them, but they ran off. One was carrying a baseball bat, according to a Police Department news release.
The officer called for assistance and pursued the suspects on foot. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies responded.
The pursuing officer caught up with the suspects, stopped them at gunpoint and detained them.
The youths, ages 13 and 14, are accused of stealing a baseball bat, an ax and other items from a lWalmart, then using the items to vandalize Foothill Farms Junior High School. At least six windows from two classrooms and the library were broken.
Police said a classroom had been ransacked, computer monitors smashed and other electronic equipment destroyed (see photo below supplied by Twin Rivers PD). The intruders also had urinated on the floor and defaced whiteboards with vulgarities.
The suspects also had painted their faces to look like raccoons, which may have indicated a connection with the "Juggalos" street gang, police said.
The cost of the damage was not immediately known but was estimated to be thousands of dollars.
The Twin Rivers Police Department asks anyone with information to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or text a tip to 274637. Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.
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