The police have released the footage of a man vandalizing a Black Lives Matter mural and asked the public to assist them in identifying the suspect who is wanted for criminal mischief.
According to the reports, the incident occurred at noontime on Monday when an unidentified man, who is believed to be in his 20s or 30s, took to Manhattan’s 5th Avenue to pour red paint over the Black Lives Matter mural that was approved by the New York City officials.
In the surveillance footage, the man is seen pulling a can of paint out of his bag before spreading the contents across the yellow-colored mural.
After succeeding in his attempt, the suspect, whom the police described as a white man of a medium build, fled the scene and ran off in an unknown direction.
As seen in the footage, the man was last seen wearing black shorts, a black shirt, black sneakers, dark sunglasses, and a black cap.
Shortly after the incident, Mayor Bill De Blasio confirmed that the mural has been fixed by writing: “To whoever vandalized our mural on 5th Avenue: nice try @NYCDOT has already fixed it.”
The Fifth Avenue BLM mural is one of five artworks of its kind approved and announced by the New York City.
“When we say Black Lives Matter, there is no more American statement, there is no more patriotic statement because there is no America without Black America,” Mayor Bill De Blasio previously expressed.
“We are acknowledging the truth of ourselves as Americans by saying ‘Black Lives Matter.’ We are righting a wrong.”
Defending the mural that sparked counter-protests in the area was also District Attorney Diana Becton who said that “systemic racism in our country” should be addressed.
“The mural completed last weekend was a peaceful and powerful way to communicate the importance of Black lives in Contra Costa County and the country. We must continue to elevate discussions and actually listen to one another in an effort to heal our community and country,” she said in a statement.
Replaced!