Three tourists from Germany have been cited after going on a paintball shooting rampage that defaced road signs, bathrooms and dumpsters throughout Joshua Tree National Park in California, park officials said.
According to a press release from the National Park Services (NPS), on Sunday, a park ranger who was patrolling the Jumbo Rocks Campground at Joshua Tree National Park noticed “fresh yellow paintball splatter on structures and signs.”
Upon further investigation into the paintball splatters, the ranger spotted a slingshot in plain view inside a vehicle.
The violation incurs a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine and/or not more than six months in prison, the NPS said.
Joshua Tree National Park Acting Chief Ranger Jeff Filosa condemned the vandalism, calling it a waste of time for staff members who could be prioritizing other tasks rather than cleaning up vandalism.
“Defacing or altering the NPS landscape, no matter how small, is against the law,” Filosa said. “It diminishes the natural environment that millions of people travel the world to enjoy. The park is regularly tasked with removing graffiti of all types, using time and resources that could be better dedicated to other priorities.”
The post German tourists deface Joshua Tree National Park in paintball and slingshot shooting rampage appeared first on Fox News.
