Man arrested in connection with George Floyd statue vandalism in New York City’s Union Square
By Mirna Alsharif, CNN
A man was arrested in connection to vandalism of the bronze statue of George Floyd in New York City’s Union Square earlier this month, according to the New York Police Department.
Micah Beals, 37, was arrested Monday and charged with criminal mischief, said NYPD Detective Annette Shelton.
He was arraigned just after midnight Tuesday and released on his own recognizance, said Caitlin Fowles, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said. His next court date is scheduled for November 1.
CNN has reached out to Beals’ attorney, Rebecca Heinsen of Legal Aid Society, for comment.
The George Floyd bust, one of three statues in Union Square Park, was defaced with a gray, water-based paint on the morning of October 3, NYPD detective Frances Sammon told CNN at the time. The installation debuted just a couple of days earlier.
Beals is accused of throwing the gray paint on the statue while riding a skateboard through the park, his criminal complaint states.
The cost to temporarily restore the bust was around $2,000 and the cost to fully restore it will be about $20,000, according to the complaint.
The bronze bust of Floyd is part of Confront Art’s “SEEINJUSTICE” exhibition.
A team of volunteers was on the scene cleaning up the Floyd statue shortly after it was vandalized, Confront Art co-founder Andrew Cohen said earlier.
“They went to the hardware and bought supplies out of their own pockets,” he said. “This is inspiring teamwork and support from the community.”
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Liam Reilly contributed to this report.
