LONG ISLAND CITY — The last installment of British street artist Banksy's monthlong New York City residency caused a ruckus in Queens on Thursday, with three men arrested on trespassing charges and another slapped with a disorderly conduct summons, police said.
The elusive artist's last piece — "Banksy!" spelled out in inflatable block-letter balloons — was discovered attached to a building at the corner of 35th Street and Borden Avenue in Long Island City.
A scuffle broke out after two apparent would-be thieves climbed the building and tried to retrieve the floating art, according to witnesses and posts on social media.
Police said Friday that three men were arrested on criminal trespassing charges for entering the property: David Aguilar, 25, Ronald Galarza, 24, and Jimmy Chiang, 31, who is also facing a criminal mischief charge for allegedly damaging a car at the scene.
Another man was issued a summons for disorderly conduct, police said.
Banksy's balloons, meanwhile, were loaded into the back of a police van.
An NYPD spokesman did not immediately have details on what happened to the piece, but said that it was likely invoiced as evidence. A spokeswoman from the Queens District Attorney's office said that generally, police maintain custody of evidence until it is needed for trial.
The Daily News reported that the balloons were brought to the 108th Precinct station house in Long Island City.
The Queens work was the final installment in Banksy's "Better Out Than In" exhibit, in which the artist left his works scattered across the five boroughs.
