San José police say the man behind one of the South Bay’s most recognizable graffiti tags is now in custody. Last Thursday, officers arrested 21-year-old Andrew Estrada, who detectives allege is the prolific tagger known as “byes.” Investigators say his signature showed up on public walls, freeway overpasses, and abandoned buildings across several jurisdictions, causing more than $200,000 in damage. Estrada was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail, and the case is listed as 25-062-9712.
According to a press release from the San José Police Department, Gang Investigations Unit detectives secured an arrest warrant for Estrada along with a search warrant for his home. Inside, they report finding large amounts of graffiti indicia, including spray paint, markers, slap tags, and sketch pads, along with bolt cutters and other tools. Officers also say they located a loaded firearm at the residence, despite Estrada being prohibited from possessing one, and that physical evidence connected him to dozens of vandalism reports. Police estimate his tags hit city property more than twenty times at a cost of roughly $40,000, and they say a January 26 incident at a railroad trestle near Old Oakland Road alone caused about $80,000 in damage…