Pittsburgh police nab suspect in North Side graffiti case
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A Sharpsburg man with a history as a graffiti artist was arrested Tuesday by Pittsburgh police for allegedly painting on Norfolk Southern property near Federal Street on the city’s North Side.
The graffiti covered 264 square feet and could cost $7,000 to clean up, according to Detective Alphonso Sloan, the city’s Graffiti Task Force officer.
Garrison Alston, 29, and another man were spotted by a train conductor walking on the tracks on Oct. 29. The conductor reported them to 911. City police investigated and spotted the men kneeling near a wall, according to police.
The men ran when they saw the cops, according to the criminal complaint filed against Alston.
Police found a still-wet graffiti mural and spray paint cans on the ground. They chased the men and found Alston hanging from a tree branch at a drop-off near a ledge, according to the complaint.
Police tried to pull Alston down, and he fell about 20 feet into a lot. Police found a shoulder bag with a stencil, nine cans of spray paint and four markers, according to the complaint.
Sloan measured the graffiti on Nov. 13. One of the tags read “Yetie.” It painted in black. Another tag was painted in lime green and incomplete, according to the complaint.
Alston is well-known and has four previous graffiti-related arrests. Felony charges of criminal mischief, conspiracy and possessing instruments of crime were filed Nov. 18, and Alston was arrested Tuesday, according to Pittsburgh police.
He was released on $2,000 unsecured bail.