BUCKTOWN — Two graffiti taggers were caught with purple paint on their hands and clothing just minutes after cops observed them defacing properties along Milwaukee Avenue in Bucktown on Thursday evening, police said.
The purple tags, "MA1," were sprayed on a door in the 1900 block of North Milwaukee Ave, the wall of a plumbing supply business in the 1800 block of North Milwaukee Avenue and on an electric generator near Milwaukee Avenue and Leavitt Street.
Mark Whitmore, 19, was arrested around 8 p.m. Thursday for allegedly defacing two properties in Bucktown and an electrical generator near Bloomingdale Trail construction, part of 'The 606' project, police said.
According to Officer Janel Sedevic, a Chicago police spokeswoman, a foot patrol officer on surveillance observed both Whitmore and a 15-year-old juvenile accomplice deface a door in the 1900 block of North Milwaukee.
The officer also observed only Whitmore tagging a wall in the 1800 block of North Milwaukee Avenue and a generator about a half-block north.
Whitmore and the juvenile also had three bottles of purple permanent insoluble ink with them at the time of the arrest, police said.
Whitmore, of the 1800 block of West Cortland Street in Bucktown, was charged with two felony counts of criminal defacement to property, one misdemeanor of criminal defacement of property and one municipal count of possession of a paint marker with intent to deface.
The 15-year-old male juvenile, whose name was not released by police, was charged with one misdemeanor of criminal defacement of property and one municipal count of possession of a paint marker with intent to deface.
Though graffiti tagging is usually considered a misdemeanor, since Whitmore had a prior offense, also related to criminal defacement of property, the charges were raised to a felony, Sedevic said.
Whitmore is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 23.
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