Santa Cruz police said they have arrested a man suspected of vandalizing a “Black Lives Matter” painting in 2023.
The alleged defacement took place on July 29, 2023, when Santa Cruz officers were alerted to a report of vandalism of a BLM mural at 800 Center St.
Officers found blue paint splattered across the artwork.
Police said they obtained video of the crime, in which a suspect was caught allegedly defacing the mural. Through other evidence and testimony from witnesses, investigators eventually identified the suspect as Taj Blum, 49.
Blum was taken into custody without incident, police said.
At this time, there is no evidence that the alleged vandalism was a hate crime, according to police.