New Westminster's new pride crosswalk vandalized
The crosswalk had been installed earlier on the day it was defaced
A new rainbow crosswalk in honour of upcoming Pride celebrations in New Westminster, B.C. was vandalized the same day it was installed.
The Pride crosswalk at the intersection of Church and Columbia streets had just been unveiled on Monday morning.
Police say several witnesses saw a 91-year-old man pouring white paint over the crosswalk after 8 p.m. PT.
"This happened early in the evening when a lot of people were around, so a whole bunch of people were calling 911," said Insp. Todd Matsumoto.
Matsumoto said police found the elderly man a few blocks away. He was arrested and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
The police investigation is ongoing. Matsumoto said the man will likely face a charge of mischief and if this qualifies as a hate crime will be evaluated during the investigation.
The defaced crosswalk was restored by Tuesday morning.
