Coral Gables police release video of 5 suspected in ‘Covid is fake’ graffiti across city
Coral Gables police are investigating a series of graffiti tags over the weekend that dotted storefronts and coral walls from Miracle Mile to the Coral Gables Youth Center. The tags included anti-police, homophobic and “covid is fake” messages spray-painted in black.
On Thursday, police released video and photos of the five suspects.
Police Chief Edward Hudak said on Tuesday the department was following up on some leads but was not ready to make an announcement. The department has the images in a case file, he said.
Coral Gables Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli said Wednesday, “This is a heinous destruction of property and we will not tolerate the defacement of our buildings.”
He said that police are working to find the persons responsible and have strong leads thanks to cameras in the area.
“We will prosecute to the full extent of the law,” Valdes-Fauli said.
Video and photos released
On Thursday, Officer Kelly Denham released photos and video of five suspects — three males, two females.
At 12:56 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, the three male subjects were captured on surveillance video using markers to graffiti a handicap parking sign and the Coral Gables Youth Center at 405 University Drive, Denham said in a media release. The two female subjects — one with a German Shepard dog — were accompanying the three males.
“The subjects defaced various private and public properties using the same letters including benches, city equipment, walls, fountains and a vehicle,” Denham said in her report.
At 5:09 a.m. Sunday, two of the males removed two bar stools from P.Pole Pizza at 279 Miracle Mile, police said.
The Gables Insider newsletter first reported on the graffiti.
‘Covid is fake’
On Sunday, residents saw messages like “cops kill” and “covid is fake” on storefronts on the Mile that reportedly were spray-painted sometime Saturday night. The entrance wall at the head of Miracle Mile, near City Hall, also had lettering that appears to be a tag.
According to the Gables Insider, the City Beautiful spent nearly $1 million on closed-circuit cameras along Miracle Mile with a live feed to the police department.
Hudak said the graffiti has since been removed.
Gables police ask that if you have info on this incident, call the department at 305-442-1600 or Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 1:37 PM.
