A trio of German tourists allegedly shot yellow paintballs at nearly a dozen signs in Joshua Tree National Park over the weekend, officials said.
The three visitors used a paintball gun and slingshots to also target bathrooms and trash cans at the California natural wonder — behavior that could land perpetrators in jail for as much as six months, the National Park Service said in a Press release on Thursday.
“Destroying or altering the NPS landscape, no matter how small, is against the law,” said Joshua Tree National Park Acting Chief Warden Jeff Filosa.
“It diminishes the natural environment that millions of people travel the world to enjoy. The park is regularly tasked with removing graffiti of all kinds, using time and resources that could be better spent on other priorities.”
A park ranger walking around Jumbo Rocks Campground on Sunday first noticed yellow paintball splatter on various signs and facilities. When more rangers reached that area of the park, they found a slingshot in plain sight inside a vehicle, the park service said.
The three Germans admitted to firing the paintballs the night before, and a search of the vehicle turned up three slingshots, a paintball gun and paintballs, officials said, adding that they are “legally considered weapons and are prohibited in National Park Service-administered lands.”
At least 11 road signs in Joshua Tree were vandalized with the yellow paint, the park service said.
The tourists were all issued a federal violation notice for vandalizing, destroying and destroying property.
The violation carries a maximum fine of $5,000 and a maximum jail term of six months.
Park staff are working to clean up the paintball splatter.