POLICE: PROFIT MOTIVE FOR PARTY D.A. INVESTIGATING CHARGES IN DAMAGE TO VACANT MANSION.

Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer

WOODLAND HILLS - A 16-year-old Crespi High School student paid two disc jockeys and charged $5 a head for entry into a rowdy party last weekend in an abandoned home that ended in thousands of dollars in vandalism, police said Friday.

``His motive was financial gain,'' said Lt. George Rock, of the West Valley detective section. ``The DJs pointed the detective in the direction of a 16-year-old student who had hired them and appeared to be the main coordinator of the party.''

Police estimated that about 400 revelers whooped it up at the party March 25 inside the home in the 21500 block of Arcos Drive. Police broke it up before 10 p.m., discovering smashed windows, graffiti-covered walls, and broken fixtures. Damage estimates on the $475,000 home were set between $25,000 and $35,000, authorities said.

In a crafty effort to allay neighbors' fears, the teen also prepared a letter from a fictitious new owner saying she had given her son permission to have the bash, and circulated it around the neighborhood, Rock said.

The teen ``stated that when the party got too large and too wild, he became concerned, and he himself left,'' Rock said. ``He denied knowing any of the actual vandals.''

Resident and Neighborhood Watch member Connie Holmes was outraged over the incident.

``The kids have no respect for anyone or anything,'' she said. ``Where are their parents?''

Meanwhile, police continue to interview the partygoers. So far, though, no one has fingered the vandals, and the District Attorney's Office is trying to decide what charges, if any, the teen organizer will face.

``We are researching the legal issue of whether or not the 16-year-old can be charged with vandalism committed by others,'' Rock said.

The teen wasn't identified because he is a minor.