German tourists deface Joshua Tree National Park in paintball and slingshot shooting rampage

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.  

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Law enforcement rangers were called to the scene and they began questioning the visitors, who were tourists from Germany, who admitted to firing paintballs with a compressed paintball gun and slingshots the night before.

Inside their vehicle, rangers recovered three slingshots, a paintball marker, paintballs, and other related equipment as evidence.  
 
Rangers also learned that at least 11 roadway signs along Park Boulevard from Jumbo Rocks campground to the Maze Loop Trailhead, two miles from the west entrance of the park, had been shot with yellow paintballs.

The three individuals were charged with a federal violation notice for vandalizing, defacing, or destroying property. 

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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."