Photos Released Of Suspects In George Floyd Statue Vandalism: PD

BROOKLYN, NY — Police are asking the public's help to find four suspects in the vandalism of the George Floyd statue in Brooklyn, which wasfound spray painted with the tag of a hate group on Thursday morning.

Police released photos and video from surveillance cameras that shows the four suspects walking to and from the statue early Thursday morning, with what appears to be spray paint in hand, according to police and video.

The 11-foot monument, which was unveiled with a Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, was found spray-painted around 7:20 a.m., police said.

Floyd's face and the words on the statue's five-foot pedestal were painted over in black and the words "patriotfront.us" were painted in white on the pedestal, police said. The phrase painted on the statue is the website for Patriot Front, a white nationalist hate group created in the aftermath of the "Unite the Right" rally in Virginia in 2017, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The photos released by police show the men walking near the Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College subway station, while the video shows them walking near Glenwood Road and Flatbush Avenue shortly before the incident and again near Glenwood Road and Flatbush Avenue shortly after the incident, police said.

The suspects are being sought on criminal mischief charges. The NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is also investigating.

The incident spurred a rally at the George Floyd statue on Thursday.

Some elected officials have called for a federal investigation.

"Just days after its unveiling on Juneteenth, and a day before the sentencing of Floyd’s murderer, this defacing that appears connected to a White supremacy hate group may have been an attempt to strike terror into our community — and it should be investigated accordingly," Borough President Eric Adams said Friday.

"I am calling for a Federal investigation into this incident in Brooklyn and a similarly destructive act on a statue in Newark, as well as any potential connection to the insurrection at the US Capitol this past January. This city must show zero tolerance against hate of every shade, no matter if it is based on race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other characteristic."

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.