A Stripper And Her Tags

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Cops say Candy was a stripper turned tagger who was constantly getting into trouble.

Los Angeles can be a colorful place. You can drive down all the major highways, look up at tall buildings, glance over at street signs, and see the spray paint dripping down. Some of it is gorgeous work by talented artists, but much of it is just a quick scribble with a nickname or tag name to sign the work. These impromptu paintings mean absolutely nothing to people who aren't in the scene, but they mean everything in the world to those who are.

Some say tagging is a form of self-expression, a way for graffiti artists to make their mark and show their work off to the public.

This was a mentality that cops say a San Fernando Valley stripper Candy Ellen Srichandr knew all too well. Candy was known to be a part of a Los Angeles tagging crew called the TKO's. Sources say, for several years, the TKO's and a rival tagging gang known as the MTAs didn't really see eye to eye. Much of their time was spent tagging over the other's work with their monikers and crew names. Over the last decade, this led to many fistfights, but these disputes were always handled one-on-one.

Candy really wanted to be a part of the crew. But even more than that, she wanted to be truly accepted. One member of TKO told AMW that Candy would spend hours at a time practicing her tags and murals. She wanted to be the best, and over six years of hard work, she improved to a point where her graffiti murals were featured in a book called Graffiti Women.

Turning Over A New Leaf

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Tony had left the world of illegal tagging so that he could set a good example for his young daughter.

On the night of May 11, 2006, cops say Candy and her boyfriend, Gabriel Singer, decided to crash an art show being held at a tattoo shop in the Valley. A former MTA tagger by the name of Anthony Sena had organized the show. Anthony had recently had a daughter and made the decision to leave the world of illegal tagging. He decided to put his talent to good use by putting his artwork on canvas and selling it. Along with painting, Anthony was also a talented tattoo artist at a shop called Needle Pushers in Van Nuys.

The art show was something that Tony and his friends worked hard on. They created fliers and spread the word on MySpace. Tony's mom told AMW that he was extremely proud of and excited for the event. The art show was supposed to be a night for family and friends: people brought their babies with them, and there were toddlers running around. Tony's mom, aunt, and sister arrived just as it was starting to get dark. Tony's mom told us that, by that time, the event was getting crowded. In fact, the show was so crowded that people had begun to spill out onto the sidewalk and the parking lot in front of Needle Pushers. In addition to Tony's family and friends, a lot of MTA's were there to support Tony and the other artists who were displaying their work on canvas.

But around 10:30 p.m., things took a turn for the worst. People inside the art show got word that the TKO's were there, and that they were ready to fight. Some people who were at the art show say that members of the TKO's had brought chains -- and even an axe -- with them. Fights were breaking out all over, and things were slowly starting to spiral out of control.

Some of the MTA's knew who Candy was because they had seen her around, and had seen her work before. They knew that she was at the art show, and they knew that she had brought her friends with her.

Cops say that without any warning, two gunmen opened fire on the crowd. Many of the bullets hit walls inside the tattoo shop, and a window was blown out. Witnesses say the calm show turned into chaos in a matter of minutes. People were huddled on the ground, and trying to hide to protect themselves.

Open Fire

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Gabriel Singer, who was supposedly Candy's boyfriend, turned himself in as one of the accused art show gunmen.

Cops say shots were being fired from two directions, and people were screaming and crying. When the shooting stopped, the gunmen and Candy took off on foot. When the scene cleared, everyone got up except for one person. Tony, the man who put the entire event together to promote his artwork, was laying on the ground in a puddle of blood. Tony's friends ran to him and tried to help until EMS workers could arrive. He was semi-conscious, and immediately was rushed to the hospital.

Tony's friend Jeff said that the entire crowd from the art show, including Tony's family, relocated to the hospital to be near him. Nobody could believe how such a great night could turn so sour, so quickly.

Sadly, Tony didn't make it. He died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Police believe that Candy and the two men she brought with her to the art show are responsible for Tony's death. One of the men, Gabriel Singer -- who is believed to have been Candy's boyfriend at the time -- turned himself in and has been charged with murder. 

But Candy and the second gunman, who is still unidentified, remain on the run.

Wanted For:

• Accessory to Murder , Los Angeles , CA ; May 11, 2006

(Information valid as of May 20, 2009)

Associated Persons:

Unknown Anthony Sena Killer
Police are also searching for the second gunman from the art show, who remains unidentified.
Fugitive
»More information

Television Airings:

• »March 22, 2008
• »November 3, 2007

Infamous Tagger Nabbed In Long Beach

In the middle on the night on February 8, 2008, cops say Candy Srichandr was nabbed in Long Beach, Calif.  Investigators were tracking her journey with the assistance of your leads, and they knew for sure she was hiding out in St. Louis and parts of Colorado.

It wasn't until an anonymous tipster contacted a U.S. Marshal in Los Angeles to tell him that Srichandr may be hiding out at a residence in Long Beach.  Our investigator and his team headed out to the location -- but not expecting to find Srichandr. 

They honestly thought she was still in Colorado.  To their surprise, she was inside the residence, arrested her immediately, and shipped her off to the Van Nuys station in the San Fernando Valley.  She's locked behind bars, and awaiting her hearing with a judge.