"At this point "Young Blooded Kings/YBK" has no known affiliation with any mainstream gang" known to law enforcement, police said.
Holland police put out this bulletin about the graffiti at Hitchcock Field. HOLLAND - Police are investigating vandalism at Hitchcock Field, in which "Young Blooded Kings" and "YBK" were painted in green in several locations at the field, and have contacted the state police gang intelligence unit.
"At this point 'Young Blooded Kings/YBK' has no known affiliation with any mainstream gang" known to law enforcement, Police Chief Bryan C. Haughey wrote in an email. "However we are still taking this very seriously."
Haughey said there are no reports of gang activity in the area. He said that photographs of the tagging were forwarded to the state police to add to their database, in case more of this graffiti is seen in the area.
Haughey said the tagging was observed by a Holland police officer on Sunday, and the investigation is ongoing. He said the town of Sturbridge had a similar tagging incident in town, where "YBK" was painted on the Bank of America on Route 20. The two departments are sharing information, Haughey said.
"We do have some leads which we are currently following up on," Haughey said.
He said it is not uncommon to see the word "blood" and "king" in the same graffiti, to reference the Bloods and Latin Kings gangs. But he said this graffiti is different from what actual Bloods or Latin Kings would do as the paint was green. Bloods use the color red, Latin Kings, yellow and black.
"We are asking the public to please come forward with any information they may have," Haughey said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Holland Police at (413) 245-0117.