UCF police search for graffiti artist

UCF police are searching for a person of interest they said has been tagging graffiti at construction sites on and around the UCF campus in broad daylight.

Sgt. James Mangan, a detective of the UCF Police Department said a male in his late teens or early 20s with dark hair and athletic build first began tagging the Greek Park construction site near the intersection of Centaurus Drive and Alafaya Trail in June, around the time of the last Florida Board of Governors meeting.

The person of interest was later caught on tape tagging the Greek Park construction site on Thursday, Aug. 2 at 3 p.m. during the last week of Summer B classes, Mangan said.

Mangan described the person of interest as wearing a red muscle tee, black athletic shorts with a vertical white stripe, athletic shoes and carrying a blue backpack. The sergeant estimated the person of interest is between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 8 inches tall.

Cpl. Jeannette Emert, UCF police community relations officer, said the first unit was dispatched under ten minutes after someone called in the person of interest. She said the footage showed he was of medium skin tone.

UCF police cannot confirm if the person of interest is a UCF student.

Mangan, who has been with the UCF Police Department for ten years, said this is probably not the person of interest's first time foraying out with a spray paint can. The footage showed him approaching the construction site in broad daylight scant feet from Alafaya Trail, a six-lane road across which hundreds of motorists travel every day.

“Usually when people start off doing things, they don't want to be caught,” Mangan said.

The sergeant said there was no parking lot nearby, so the person of interest was bold enough to not worry about a quick escape route. Construction fencing by Collegiate Village Inn also has graffiti with a similar signature.

Mangan, a 2009 UCF alumnus, said in addition to it being a crime, he doesn't want to see a bunch of graffiti on his campus, especially with parents coming in with their kids during orientations.

“Graffiti attracts more graffiti," Mangan said. “If you have one person put their marking down, then the next person might come up and do their marking.”

If you have information pertaining to or have seen the person of interest, contact Sgt. James Mangan at 407-823-5425 or call Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.