An act of vandalism at Castaic Lake Senior Apartments on Tuesday is being investigated by the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

Black spray paint was used to write the names of various employees and residents on a wall in the apartment complex. Following each name was an equals sign and derogatory term or slur, said Shirley Miller, public information officer for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

One man’s name was followed by the word “racist” while a homosexual slur was used to describe another man.

A woman whose name was written on the wall was described as a “hor” and one man’s name was followed by the word “jihad.”

The investigation is being conducted as an act of vandalism by Detective Richard Welch of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Department’s robbery team, which also handles vandalism.

“They do have information that has been received from some of the residents in the complex that they are following,” said Miller.

The incident is being handled as a dual investigative assignment between the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and the Hate Crime Task Force, a specialized unit within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

“We added the classification of hate incident,” said Miller.

The vandalism took place between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

The Castaic Lake Senior Apartments, located on Castaic Road in Castaic, refused to comment on the incident.

Other Santa Clarita Valley Crime