A Prince George’s County man has been arrested and accused of vandalizing a street art installation that he thought represented “gay pride,” but was actually intended to improve visibility and pedestrian safety.
Hyattsville police said they showed up to the intersection of Jefferson Street and 40th Avenue around 5:50 p.m. Thursday for a report that someone was spray painting a recently completed street art project.
As officers patrolled the area, they said they saw the individual return to the site to spray paint the art around 10 p.m. Police said the man, 29-year-old Chillum resident Kenny Antonio Guevara, was driving the same vehicle described by witnesses earlier in the day.
According to police, Guevara told officers he was spray painting the art “because he thought it represented ‘Gay Pride,'” officials said in a news release. Guevara was arrested and charged with malicious destruction of property and a hate crime.
“We are very disappointed to see this new amenity defaced by someone motivated by hate,” Hyattsville Mayor Robert Croslin said in the news release. “I want to reassure the community that we will not tolerate acts of hate in the City of Hyattsville and we are working to restore the artwork as quickly as possible.”
The city, along with design firm Graham Projects, installed the “Quilt Crossing” art project earlier in the week to increase visibility and make the intersection safer for pedestrians. City workers started removing the spray paint Friday.
