Graffiti sprayer arrested near I-84, which was cleared last weekend

The Portland Police Bureau cracked down on a graffiti artist for the third time in three months, arresting a teenager early this morning as he defaced a wall in northeast Portland.

Officers from the Northern Precinct responded to reports of suspicious activity near the intersection of Northeast Broadway and 33rd Avenue. When they arrived, officers saw people spray painting a retaining wall on private property.

Officers detained two people and eventually arrested one of them: Asher Bengston, 18, of Portland, police said in a news release. Officers made the arrest while patrolling roads around Interstate 84 that were being cleared by personnel from various agencies over the weekend.

Bengston was charged with first-degree criminal damage, a felony.

Bengston’s arrest is the third high-profile graffiti incident since May, when a search warrant was obtained for Gabriel Rodriguez-Lee, who was allegedly writing “OMEGA” all over the city. Police found hundreds of OMEGA tags in his home.

On June 25, police said they seized over 1,500 cans of spray paint, valued at a total of $10,000, from a home in the Centennial neighborhood owned by tagger James S. Fischel (nicknamed “GIMER”).

The significance of today’s arrest lies less in the marker’s fame than in how closely authorities are monitoring the highway corridor that until last week served as a wide-open canvas.

Police made two arrests last night, but only arrested Bengston, who had “bottles of paint” in a bag, at around 1:30 a.m. He has since been released.