
Police investigators used surveillance technology to arrest 20-year-old Jonathan Gurr on March 2 and charge him with felony vandalism for damaging more than 90 storefront windows in Ocean Beach and a handful of others in Pacific Beach earlier this year. Security cameras — particularly those of Green Lady Hydroponics on Newport Avenue — helped catch at least one member of the group that caused more than $100,000 worth of damage, according to police. Investigators took Gurr into custody at his Pacific Beach residence, according to San Diego police Lt. Andra Brown. All three of the suspected vandals have been identified through the surveillance tapes but at least one appears to be long gone, she said. “One of them already fled the state,” Brown said, “so [Gurr is also] a flight risk.” Gurr is being held on about $100,000 bail, according to records from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Word of the arrest brought only a little relief to one business owner who had 22 of his storefront windows permanently scarred. “I just hope there’s some restitution and we get some money from them,” said Craig Gerwig, owner of Newport Avenue Antique Center. “Thank God OB has cameras, because they’re caught.” Several local merchants have said they cannot afford the cost to replace their damaged windows and will likely have to keep the marred glass in place until such time as they can be relaced. The Ocean Beach MainStreet Association has also been pushing for more cameras around the community in recent months. According to police, Gurr and the others used different monikers and are also responsible for damaging several businesses along the 900 block of Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach and neighboring communities.








