Police Arrest Man in Giants Riot/Muni Vandalism

Photo by Susana Bates/Special to The Chronicle

The San Francisco Police Department arrested a suspect in the vandalism of a Muni bus near Third and Market Streets Sunday night, photographed by a Chronicle reporter above. The picture was widely circulated online, which led to arrest of Gregory Tyler Graniss, 22, of San Francisco, reports The Chronicle. But the arrest came after some online weirdness that almost pointed the finger at the wrong person.

After things got out of hand Sunday night, including the burning and other forms of destruction of Muni buses, some people started a Facebook campaign to ID the vandals

But Facebook commenters “got the wrong guy” because of a misfired joke. According to a Wired.com story, a San Francisco man named Tony Lukezic used a photo of one of the vandals as his Facebook profile picture because friends say he looked like the vandal. He thought it would all be a funny joke.

What isn’t too funny is that after he changed his Facebook profile picture, Facebook commenters threatened Lukezic, posting his phone number and threatening to turn him in to the cops.

Now that the police has arrested Gregory Tyler Graniss (aka, not the Facebook joker), investigators are still looking for other vandals who set a Muni bus on fire.

A Muni Diaries reader sent us a video of the bus being lit on fire Sunday evening.

According to KTVU, nine people have been charged with crimes related to Sunday night’s vandalism, and 36 people have been arrested.

The Giants post-World Series Win Riot on Muni Diaries:
Photos of Muni buses being trashed by rioters
Man gets beat up trying to “defend Muni” during riot
Video of a bus rider who wouldn’t riot