Authorities are searching for a suspect who spray-painted graffiti on a wall surrounding the Getty House — the official residence of the mayor of Los Angeles.

The Getty House property was vandalized recently, but the graffiti has since been cleaned up. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Capt. Tina Nieto, commanding officer of the Los Angeles Police Department’s  Olympic Division, said the graffiti was discovered on Monday morning on a wall that runs along 6th Street that surrounds the residence, and was not on the house itself. Getty House is located at 605 S. Irving Blvd. in Windsor Square. Nieto said someone spray painted two names on the wall, and described it as “minor.”

“It was tagged with spray paint, and it was probably taggers or kids,” Nieto said. “It was not gang related.“

The graffiti was removed shortly after it was discovered, and patrol officers have been instructed to keep watch in the area for any similar activity. Nieto said no other similar incidents have occurred in recent days, and she surmised it may have been someone passing by the residence on foot.

“We haven’t seen an uptick in vandalism,” she said. “We went out and took a report. Tagging is everywhere in Southern California, and fortunately we have good organizations that come out and paint it out right away.”

The Koreatown Youth and Community Center removed the graffiti. Mayor Eric Garcetti could not be reached for comment.

The Koreatown Youth and Community Center conducts graffiti removal in the Koreatown and Windsor Square areas. For information and removal, call (213)365-7400. The Hollywood/Los Angeles Beautification Team conducts graffiti removal in the Hollywood and Wilshire area, and residents whose property has been tagged can call (323)962-2163 to schedule a clean up, or report it via the city’s informational line at 311.