Police look to identify vandal spray-painting businesses in Oakland and South Side
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh police are working to identify a man who they believe is behind spraying graffiti on several businesses in Oakland and the South Side.
The latest tagging was at Holy Assumption of St. Mary's Orthodox Church on South 19th Street. Father Patrick Carpenter said the church was tagged in the front and the back of the building.
"It's a sadness. We should not be destroying other people's property or defacing it. There's no reason to do it," Carpenter said.
Police released surveillance video this week showing a person who they believe is behind it. Authorities said the man's tag is "AChizz."
"I wish people would grow up and respect what we've been given. We have a beautiful city and graffiti only defaces it when they can use their art skills for far better purposes," Carpenter said.
Carpenter said this was the third time in the church's history that it's been defaced.
"Please, stop it. You're harming the whole community. I don't think you realize the intent of your actions and you don't realize the financial cost and harm you do to the community by doing it," Carpenter said.
Carpenter said he plans to install new security cameras around the building in hopes to stop the person from coming back and doing it again.
He said city workers cleaned off and painted over the graffiti on Friday morning.
"We had a contractor coming today. A city worker told me, 'Father, we saw it on the news last night and we did not want one of our churches marked like that, so we came out first thing to clean it,"' Carpenter said.
Anyone with information can call and leave confidential tips at (412)-495-6052.
