Man arrested for hate crime after allegedly vandalizing San Francisco church

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San Francisco Police Department badge (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO - A 51-year-old man was arrested Saturday after allegedly graffiti tagging a San Francisco church with hateful slurs.

San Francisco Police Department officers were called to the church in the 2800 block of California Street on reports of the vandalism and found swastikas, antisemitic and homophobic words graffitied on church buildings and "city utilities," according to a department statement.

Police quickly identified the suspect as 51-year-old Sadat Mousa, and established probable cause to place him under arrest on Saturday afternoon.

The estimated cost of the damage is over $20,000, the SFPD said.

"This kind of hateful act will never be tolerated in our city," said SFPD Chief Derrick Lew. "We will do everything in our power to protect our communities and ensure justice is served in this case. I want to thank our officers who acted swiftly to make an arrest in this case."

Mousa was booked in San Francisco County jail for multiple charges including felony vandalism with a hate crime enhancement, and he was being held without bail, according to San Francisco Sheriff’s Office jail records.