In October, the NYPD linked him to BLM.
Photo: Andrés Correa Guatarasma / Courtesy
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Herberto Torres, an ex-con with 43 previous arrests, only received “one ticket” after being arrested on suspicion of vandalizing dozens of cars in Queens, in the middle of the controversial penal reform in force since last year in the state of New York.
Torres, 57, reportedly sprayed cars between March and this month. He was arrested early Friday and charged with 46 counts of graffiti and criminal mischief.
The alleged vandal was traced to a body shop where he works because I use a customer’s vehicle to commit crimes. After his arrest, he was released with a desk appearance ticket, sources said.
The policemen counted 65 graffiti incidents They date back to the end of March, and Torres has been charged with 46 of them, police said. The remaining incidents are under investigation.
The first cases were reported on March 26, on 35th Street between 31st Avenue and Broadway, where 20 vehicles were vandalized in broad daylight.
Then, on May 18, between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m., 20 more vehicles were attacked on 27th Street between 23rd Avenue and Ditmars Blvd. The next day, 17 more cars were scratched nearby, on 33rd Street, the NYPD reported.
Again on May 22, eight more vehicles were spray painted on 32nd Street between 34th Avenue and Broadway between 7:35 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Previously, In October, Torres was arrested for allegedly labeling more than 50 cars in Jackson Heights with spray paint that spelled “BLM” or “AOC.” due to his affiliation with the anti-racial movement “Black Lives Matter”, police sources said at the time.
Before Friday, Torres had been arrested 43 times, according to police. Served sentence for attempted robbery in 1993, attempt to criminal sale of a controlled substance in 1995 and robbery in 1998, state correction records show, he said New York Post.
Criminal reform has been charged with increasing crime in NYC since last year, in addition to the release of prisoners to avoid coronavirus infections in prisons. According to experts, this raises fears of a more violent summer in NYC this 2021.
UPDATE: After vandalizing dozens of privately owned cars in Astoria, officers from the Citywide Vandals Task Force identified the 57-year-old repeat offender, arrested & charged him with 46 counts of making graffiti, criminal mischief, & possession of graffiti instruments. https://t.co/Q0oyLa6jgs
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 28, 2021
Queens vandal who tagged dozens of cars given appearance ticket: cops https://t.co/U5DpBF9Ycp pic.twitter.com/lBFOF0XmKM
— New York Post (@nypost) May 28, 2021
Queens man facing slew of charges for spray painting graffiti on dozens of vehicles, police say. https://t.co/RvbV6EPRO5
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) May 28, 2021
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