On Monday, the police released images and a video of the two vandals who allegedly scrawled the word “murderer” in red spray paint across the statue of Christopher Columbus in Central Park last month.
The surveillance footage showed the destructive duo climb over barricades protecting the statue of the Italian explorer on February 26 with spray cans in tow.
According to the video, a woman in a bright orange coat painted over the “Columbus” text with the “murderer” accusation.
Her partner in crime, dressed in all black, climbed onto the statue and nearly slipped off while covering it in red paint.
The graffiti artists spray-painted “Give us our land back” on the bronze and granite sculpture.
Statues of Columbus nationwide have been the target of vandalism because of the explorer’s reputation for brutality to Native Americans, among other things.
Some believe Columbus was a murderer of the indigenous people when he arrived in America in 1492, while others see him as a celebrated figure of Italian pride.
If caught, the spray-paint suspects will likely be charged with vandalism and making graffiti, cops have said.
Statues of historical figures have come under attack across the country in recent years, as critics have pointed out or unearthed truths about many of the leaders.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding the vandalism to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
»Police release images and video of two vandals«
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