MINNEAPOLIS, June 18 (UPI) -- A vandal has defaced public and private property since February, racking up thousands of dollars in cleanup costs, Minneapolis city officials said.
The elusive graffiti artist -- tagged by police as "The Pourer" and the "Paint Bomber" -- struck at least 25 times on the city's south side during the past four months, splashing paint on walls, poles, bus shelters and other surfaces, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Friday.
Police said the offender's gender is unknown.
"You have to catch them doing it, and he's not leaving a signature behind," Minneapolis police Sgt. Bill Palmer told the Star Tribune.
Bus shelters are one of the vandal's favorite targets, said Metro Transit spokesman Bob Gibbon. He said transit workers are "familiar with his vandalism."
Gibbons said the vandalism so far cost Metro Transit $1,600 in labor and supplies.
Residents in south Minneapolis neighborhoods who follow graffiti trends told the Star Tribune the vandal started two years ago, defacing highways, then moved on to tagging bus shelters, control boxes, businesses and park structures.
Minneapolis has $1.4 million allocated for dealing with graffiti, and has between one and three full-time employees removing paint from public and private surfaces on any given day, said Angela Brenny, the city's Clean City coordinator. In addition, the Minneapolis Park Board spends between $30,000 and $50,000 annually on graffiti cleanup.
