Jimi Hendrix statue defaced in graffiti spree
Sep 19, 2013, 12:22 PM | Updated: 7:00 pm
(Photo courtesy capitolhillseattle.com)
Two vandals marked the 43rd anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s death by tagging his iconic statue in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Police say witnesses saw two men buying spray paint at a nearby store Wednesday night. They walked out and defaced the statue, and then tagged construction equipment, a building, city utility box, signs, and a Metro bus they boarded to leave the area.
The bus driver snapped a few pictures and called police. Before officers arrived, the vandals tagged more buildings downtown.
Witnesses identified the two men as the same suspects in the store’s surveillance video. Police say one of the men had cans of spray paint in his pocket and backpack.
The men, ages 20 and 21, were booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Property Damage.
Graffiti cleanup reportedly began Thursday morning.
KIRO Radio’s Chris Sullivan contributed to this report.