A small group of children, aged 7 to 11, vandalized the World Tots L.A. daycare center in San Pedro last month.
The children ranged from four boys and one girl and authorities are looking into how the children were able to access the center and create such destruction. But police said it was clear that the children had some ‘knowledge’ of the day care center.
The group raided snacks and sprayed ink toner throughout the facility. Bottles of baby formula, mirror shards and diapers were scattered all over the floor. Along with electronics missing and fire extinguishers released, authorities said there is evidence a small fire was also set inside the day care center.
Staff at the San Pedro facility walked in on the destruction early the following morning. Due to the amount of vandalism to the property, the day care center had to close for a week so proper repairs could be made. The cost for the facility’s restoration averaged around $30,000.
Authorities revealed that the children who broke into the property do not attend the day care, but live close by.
However, with the assistance of the staff, the port police were able to quickly find the children and detain them. Luckily, most of the stolen items were recovered.
The Port of Los Angeles helped pay for the repairs alongside a Go Fund Me account that was also set up to raise money to fix damages.
The police are currently cooperating with the juvenile division so that the children can receive counseling so no more incidents of the same nature occur in the future.
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