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Police arrest suspect in Midtown rainbow crosswalk vandalism
Atlanta police arrested a man who investigators believe vandalized Midtown's iconic rainbow crosswalk. The man was caught on camera painting a swastika and other offensive graffiti on the crosswalk twice this week.
ATLANTA - A man accused of spray-painting hate symbols around Atlanta before being arrested after a SWAT standoff was granted bond, but remained in Fulton County Jail on Monday morning, officials said.
Police said 30-year-old Jonah Sampson painted multiple swastikas on the Midtown rainbow crosswalks at 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue. Investigators also think he painted graffiti on a monument at the Federal Reserve Building in Atlanta.
Officers allegedly tried to contact him unsuccessfully while he hid inside an apartment building before a SWAT team responded to arrest him. He eventually surrendered.
30-year-old Jonah Sampson
The Atlanta Police LGBTQ Liaison Unit was first notified about "a symbol that appeared to be a swastika spray-painted" at the intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue on Wednesday. Workers with the Atlanta Department of Transportation quickly arrived to clean it up. Overnight Thursday into Friday, the crosswalk was again defaced.
Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks
The Atlanta Rainbow Crosswalks were installed shortly after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in June 2016.
It was quickly embraced and became a permanent fixture further symbolizing the city of Atlanta’s inclusiveness.
Previous vandalism at rainbow crosswalks
This is not the first time the crosswalk has been the target of vandals.
In February, skid marks cut through the landmark after police say street racers used the intersection illegally.