18-year-old arrested for cutting down Flock camera in Temecula

An 18-year-old was arrested for allegedly cutting down a Flock camera in Temecula on Tuesday night, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office. 

In a news release, deputies said they were patrolling near E. Benton Road and De Portola Road when a citizen made contact to report a group of people who had "loaded a cut-down Flock Safety Camera into a vehicle."

The citizen relayed the license plate number of the vehicle to deputies, who then relayed the information to the department's Aviation Unit, which located the car at a home in the 43000 block of Matera Court. 

"Deputies responded to the location and conducted a traffic stop. Deputies detained the occupants of the vehicle without incident," the release said. 

They arrested the "primary suspect," identified as 18-year-old Andrew Anderson, and booked him for grand theft and felony vandalism. Deputies released the other occupants of the vehicle. 

The stolen Flock camera was recovered and is slated to be returned to Flock Safety, the release said. 

It's the second time in a week that Riverside County deputies arrested a man for allegedly vandalizing a Flock camera, after a Palm Desert man was arrested in an incident during which he also allegedly assaulted a Flock Safety contractor. 

"The Riverside County Sheriff's Office encourages our communities to report suspicious activity," the release said. "Vandalizing or damaging Flock cameras is a serious crime and will be aggressively investigated. Those who intentionally damage, destroy, or tamper with Flock cameras will face felony charges and arrest."

Flock cameras have drawn criticism across Southern California in recent months, including in Ventura County, where an audit revealed that Flock inadvertently shared Ventura County's data with out-of-state law enforcement agencies, including federal agents.