A California homeowner returned to collect paint and tools from a house he had just renovated and found a crowd inside. His order to leave did not end the party, he recounted in an interview with NBC 7 San Diego.
The house, on Parkdale Avenue in San Diego’s Mira Mesa neighborhood, had been advertised for rent. He discovered the gathering around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 10.
The homeowner, identified in the report only as Raju because he feared retaliation, estimated that about 60 teens and young adults had gathered at the property. In the rain, partygoers crowded shoulder to shoulder in the garage and side yard.
“Just remodeled, trying to do things for the family and then for this to happen,” he said. “It was a gut punch in the gut.”
At the Door
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Raju described someone stepping onto a hose reel, breaking a bathroom window and entering the house before opening a door to let others in.
“Hey, I own this place. I’m the owner. You guys need to get the hell out,” he recalled shouting when he encountered the crowd.
The party continued while he waited outside for police, a wait he put at about two hours. By the time officers arrived, most of the crowd had left. The television report describes officers searching the house and making no arrests.
Back Inside
Raju’s account of the damage included a kicked-in door, paint thrown across the front room, a broken window and destroyed smoke detectors. He estimated the damage at more than $3,000, with repairs delaying plans to sign his first tenant.
For owners of vacant properties, the San Diego Police Department offers a Letter of Agency, also called a Trespass Arrest Authorization. It allows police to enforce trespass laws against people on a property without the owner’s consent or a lawful purpose.
The department recommends authorizing vacant houses and lots. After submitting the form, owners should post signs identifying the property, stating “No Trespassing,” and indicating that a Letter of Agency is on file with police.
The signs should measure at least 18 by 24 inches, with lettering ideally readable from the nearest public street, and be placed out of easy reach of vandals.