Police on Tuesday arrested a man who they say vandalized a downtown Miami bagel and pizza shop by spray-painting anti-Israel graffiti on the building last month.
A police officer stopped Kenneth Guerrero, 28, around 9:15 a.m. at Northwest Second Avenue and First Street Tuesday because he fit the description of a man seen in security camera footage vandalizing Holy Bagels & Pizzeria at 93 NW First St. on June 16, according to an arrest report.
Police say Guerrero was wearing the same hooded sweatshirt with a white Foundation Skateboards logo that a man seen in the restaurant’s camera footage was wearing.
In the video, according to police, the man spray-painted “Free Palestine Stop Genocide” on the entrance of the building. He also pulled down a U.S/Israeli flag and spray-painted it with the message, “Free Palestine.” That flag had a banner in the middle reading, “Stand with Israel,” according to a photo police provided.
Police arrested Guerrero on one count of felony criminal mischief causing more than $1,000 in damage. As of Wednesday morning, Guerrero had not shown up in the county’s online jail records and information on his legal counsel was not available.
Shmaya Nodel, the owner of Holy Bagels & Pizzeria, told the Herald he was grateful to police for making the arrest.
“It’s great that the city of Miami and the mayor and the police department all took it very seriously and will not tolerate this going on in the city,” Nodel said Wednesday.
Nodel, 26, who’s owned the restaurant since taking it over during the COVID pandemic in 2020, said this is the first time that location has been vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti. But, he also owns Bagel Time Cafe on Alton Road in Miami Beach, which, he said has been hit by graffiti three times.
Two people police say were responsible for the vandalism at the Alton Road cafe were caught, he said. His message to those with the urge to engage in vandalism, no matter what their political leanings:
“As people, we have to come together and do good,” Nodel said. “These are hard times. We need to come together.”
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