Surveillance video shows Lee Monument graffiti suspect

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Capitol Police released new surveillance video of the graffiti suspect in action, who spray-painted "beef cake" on the Robert E. Lee Monument. The video shows a man wearing a hoodie lurking around the statue, off Monument Avenue. He sprays the word "beefcake" on the monument three times, using a stencil.

Investigators are hoping someone may recognize this suspect, specifically the people who were nearby when the man opened the can of spray paint at 2 a.m., on a Sunday morning earlier this month.

Capitol Police Captain Raymond Goodloe says he's hoping to learn more clues from the bystanders seen in the video, like three women who walk past the statue, around the same time as the suspect.

"We're hoping that one of those individuals, either driving in a vehicle, or walking by on foot, saw the suspect," said Goodloe.

The vandalism is the second time this year that the General Robert E. Lee Monument has been targeted. In 2011, the words "no hero" also appeared.

Goodloe says the Lee Monument is a continual target, in part, because of the controversial past it represents. He says it's also one of the reasons the statue has security cameras in the first place.

"We have surveillance on the monument because it's been vandalized so many times," said Goodloe. "We know, for a fact, that because it's Lee, he has been targeted. Other times, we think it's just a convenient canvas for someone to spray paint."

Vandalizing the statue is a misdemeanor crime. It carries up to a year in jail, and a $2,500 fine.

If you have any information regarding this vandalism, call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.

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