A brazen daytime graffiti tagger was caught on camera — and city officials are hoping to “expose” the man.
Video footage captured a man walking up to a wall on May 23 and tagging it with spray paint. Not only was his face caught on camera, but also his bare buttocks, as his pants were falling down.
A man shouts at him, but it doesn’t faze the tagger.
“It’s frustrating because it is ongoing,” says Crime Stoppers coordinator Gerry Guiltenane. “These people have to be held to account for the damage they are causing.”
The individual is believed to have also tagged numerous properties in Rutland and in downtown Kelowna.
“We do have his name, and police are doing a follow-up investigation on it,” says Guiltenane.
City of Kelowna graffiti prevention co-ordinator Scott Isfan says tagging is on the rise.
“On average, we handle about 6,000 requests (to deal with) graffiti vandalism on city property per year,” he tells Castanet.
Efforts are being made to educate the public about recognizing, recording and removing it as soon as possible.
Damage ranges into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Guiltenane.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $500 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of the tagger.
Anyone who witnesses a tagger in the act is asked to call RCMP immediately.
— Alanna Kelly, Castanet
