Four teenage girls were arrested earlier this week for vandalizing a business in Thousand Oaks, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department announced Friday.
According to the sheriff's department, the group broke into a vacant business on the evening of Sept. 19 on North Moorpark Road near Oaks Mall. They proceeded to vandalize the walls with spraypainted racial slurs, emptied fire extinguishers and caused "significant damage" to the property.
They then made verbal, racially derogatory comments toward another group of younger girls and stole a pair of shoes, sheriff's deputies said.
The teens, whose names have been withheld due to their minor statuses, were between 13 and 15 years of age. They face charges of vandalism, violating civil rights, resisting arrest, theft and tampering with fire safety equipment. They were cited and released into the custody of their parents, according to the sheriff's department.
Sheriff's deputies did not disclose a theory of motive for the crimes.
This is a developing story. KNX will update with additional information as it is received.
