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Arrest Made In South Side Graffiti Case

Kevin Alton, president of the South Side Bears, speaks at a press conference about the Quarry Field vandalism.
Julia Zenkevich
/
90.5 WESA
Kevin Alton, president of the South Side Bears, speaks at a press conference about the Quarry Field vandalism.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police arrested a suspect following an investigation opened last week after racist and anti-Semetic graffiti was found on the city’s South Side. In a tweet Wednesday morning, the Bureau said “Matthew Dougherty, 27, of Pittsburgh was arrested and charged with Criminal Mischief, Graffiti.”

Last week, Pittsburgh leaders and officials gathered at Quarry Field, where the graffiti was found on a concession stand, to condemn the vandalism. The field is home to the South Side Bears, a mostly Black youth football team.

In a statement last week, Mayor Bill Peduto said "disgusting and hateful actions like these have no place in our city and will not be tolerated. Law enforcement will work to identify and prosecute whoever did this to the fullest extent of the law."

Public works employees removed the graffiti the same day it was found. At last week’s gathering, Peduto said the city would support the cleanup efforts and finance the restoration of the concession stand.

Julia Zenkevich reports on Allegheny County government for 90.5 WESA. She first joined the station as a production assistant on The Confluence, and more recently served as a fill-in producer for The Confluence and Morning Edition. She’s a life-long Pittsburgher, and attended the University of Pittsburgh. She can be reached at jzenkevich@wesa.fm.