Stabbed former deputy out of hospital

A retired sheriff’s deputy, stabbed after confronting a 16-year-old boy about graffiti vandalism, has been released from the hospital, authorities said.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have decided to try teenager Luke Artinger of Huntington Beach as an adult.

Ronald Chavers, 42, of Rancho Cucamonga, was released March 1 from UCI Medical Center in Orange, hospital spokeswoman Susan Mancia said.

Artinger appeared in Westminster court for an arraignment shortly before noon Friday, but the proceedings were postponed to March 23, according to Orange County District Attorney’s office spokeswoman Farrah Emami.

Artinger has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder, with a sentencing enhancement for causing great bodily injury and the personal use of a deadly weapon, Emami said. If convicted on all charges, he will face 13 years in prison.

“He was direct-filed as an adult based on the seriousness of the crime and the fact that he’s over 16,” Emami said.

Chavers, a retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, saw the teen vandalizing a concrete post behind the Petco store at 8909 Adams Ave., Huntington Beach police said. When Chavers confronted the suspect and identified himself as police, the suspect stabbed Chavers and then ran into the store, where he was arrested, police said.

A 250% jump in graffiti vandalism last year led to a crackdown by city officials, including two dedicated anti-graffiti employees. Last year, the city received 3,992 graffiti reports, city spokeswoman Laurie Payne said. Reports in 2006 ranged from 204 in January to 588 in December. In January of this year alone, the city received 793 reports and in February, 528.

“The reporting has changed because we’ve gone on a very proactive campaign,” Payne said. “We’re addressing it a lot quicker — we’re working at a 24-hour turnaround time for clean-ups.”

But the amount of graffiti vandalism in the city has increased over the last year, Lt. Craig Junginger said. He urged those who witness a tagger in the act to contact the police, but that is all.

“We don’t want any citizens trying to get personally involved,” Junginger said. “We warn them not to apprehend or confront anyone seen doing graffiti vandalism, just to observe and take notes and call the police.”

The Huntington Beach City Council voted Monday on an ordinance offering a reward to people who provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of graffiti vandals. The council raised the reward for graffiti vandalism of city signs from $500 to $2,000 after a board marking the site of the future senior center in Central Park was damaged, replaced and then stolen all over the course of four days.