German tourists vandalize national park with paintball and slingshot shooting

Three sightseers from Germany have been ticketed after engaging in a paintball shooting spree that marred road signs, restrooms, and garbage receptacles across Joshua Tree National Park, as per officials.

While patrolling the Jumbo Rocks Campground at Joshua Tree National Park on Sunday, a ranger noticed “recent yellow paintball splatter on buildings and signs,” based on a report from the National Park Service issued on Thursday.

“Law enforcement rangers were summoned to the campground to further probe and found a slingshot in clear view within a vehicle,” officials stated. “Upon interrogation, the visitors confessed to firing paintballs with a compressed paintball gun, identified as a paintball marker, and slingshots the previous evening.”

Subsequently, rangers combed through the vehicle and retrieved “three slingshots, a paintball marker, paintballs, and other related gear as evidence,” park officials verified.

Authorities have not disclosed any details about the suspects involved in this incident but have confirmed that the three individuals questioned were vacationers from Germany, according to the account of the event provided by the National Park Service.

“Vandalizing or changing the NPS environment, regardless of the scale, is illegal,” stated Joshua Tree National Park Acting Chief Ranger Jeff Filosa. “It degrades the natural surroundings that countless people from around the world come to appreciate. The park is frequently tasked with eradicating graffiti of all kinds, utilizing time and resources that could be better allocated to other priorities.”