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Atlanta police have identified the man arrested last week after allegedly spray-painting swastikas on the city’s rainbow crosswalks that honor the gay community.
Police identified Jonah Sampson, 30, as the man who allegedly spray-painted swastikas on Atlanta’s Midtown rainbow crosswalks. Authorities believe he is also responsible for graffiti that was found on a monument at the Federal Reserve Building, Fox 5 reported.
Sampson was arrested in Atlanta on Friday outside his apartment after a roughly five-hour stand-off with a SWAT team.
Jail records show Sampson is facing three charges of second degree criminal damage to property, one count of criminal trespass and a felony charge of interference with government property.
ATLANTA MAN ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY SPRAY-PAINTING SWASTIKAS ON RAINBOW CROSSWALK, SWAT STANDOFF
Booking photo of Jonah Sampson, 30, who is accused of painting swastikas on Atlanta’s rainbow crosswalks.
(Fulton County Sheriff’s Office )
A spokesperson for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital on Monday that Sampson’s bond was set to $77,500 for all charges. He remains in custody.
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Photo shows suspect allegedly behind spray-painting swastikas in Atlanta.
(Atlanta Police Department)
His arrest follows the discovery of one swastika that had been painted on the rainbow crosswalk last Wednesday, as well as a second swastika found on the crosswalk on Friday, which appeared next to an anti-gay slur. Police also discovered another swastika and other graffiti on the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta on Friday.
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The rainbow crosswalks were installed in the city back in 2016 following a mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando that left 49 people dead. The crosswalks remained in Atlanta as a permanent fixture celebrating gay pride.
“This is an unacceptable act in this city, anywhere in this city or in any form where citizens are targeted by hate,” interim police chief Darin Schierbaum told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week. “This department is aggressively looking now for the individual who did this.”
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A spokesman for Mayor Andre Dickens’ office had called the vandalism “disgusting” and thanked city workers “for erasing the hate that has no place in our city in such a swift and efficient manner,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last week.
