‘ACT OF COWARDICE’

Cops Nab Suspect Caught on Camera Vandalizing NYC’s New George Floyd Statue

Michael Beals, 37, allegedly defaced the statue of George Floyd in Union Square Park on Oct. 3.

The search for a Manhattan man who defaced a statue of George Floyd on Oct. 3 finally ended Monday, reports NBC New York. Michael Beals, 37, has been arrested for allegedly skating into Union Square Park and throwing paint onto the statue of the late Floyd. Investigators have been looking for the suspect since the NYPD released a surveillance video that showed the statue being vandalized. Beals faces one charge of criminal mischief.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the incident an “act of cowardice” and instructed the state’s Hate Crimes Task Force to help authorities find the suspect. This is the second time Floyd’s statue has been defaced; after it was unveiled on Juneteenth, it was vandalized with paint and an alleged white supremacist group’s sign just five days later.