Police in Richmond, B.C., have arrested a young man in connection with racist graffiti found on the walls, ceiling and stairwell of a shopping mall parkade.

An 18-year-old was arrested Wednesday. Richmond RCMP say they have forwarded a charge of mischief to the Crown.

The teen has been released and is to appear in court on Sept. 14.

Police had been looking for two Caucasian men captured on camera at the Empire Centre mall drawing swastikas and leaving comments such as "F--k the Chinese."

Cpl. Sherredean Turley said the teenager who was arrested had returned to the parkade, where he was identified.

"Members of Richmond RCMP's bike section located the male during their patrols of the Empire Centre parkade," Turley said.

"The male was positively ID'd by officers and was arrested as he tried to flee. I'm not sure what to make out of it, but I find it odd that someone would return to the scene."

Turley said police are still trying to identify the second man caught on the surveillance tape.

More people involved

While two people were captured on camera, mall officials say others were involved. Security manager Paul Kung blames four men and a woman, who were captured on surveillance cameras last Wednesday.

Two men returned the next day to smash security cameras and to leave more offensive messages, Kung said.

The group returned again Wednesday afternoon, then ran away when police showed up, he said.

"Every day they come through here," Kung said. "Every day."

Richmond RCMP said the case could turn into a hate crime investigation, but they noted most of the graffiti was aimed at the police.

Shoppers shocked

The Empire Centre shopping mall near No. 3 Road and Leslie Road caters to the city's large Chinese population. More than half of the nearly 200,000 people in Richmond are of Asian descent.

Shopper Daisy Cheung said she was shocked by the graffiti "because here there is so many Chinese people living here, and I don't think they respect us living here a long time."

Tung Chan, the CEO of the immigrant services group SUCCESS, said he doesn't understand why the vandals defaced the parkade with racist graffiti.

"Why would they make such kind of racist remarks?" Chan asked. "And why would they do those kinds of mischievous acts? It's totally incomprehensible, but one that is totally unacceptable.

"I would urge friends of those people, schoolmates of those people, wherever they go to school, their teachers, their parents, their friends, their neighbours, need to tell those people who perpetrate this crime that is not acceptable, that this kind of attitude totally has no place in a place like Richmond."