Police arrested a man accused of drawing a sinister symbol on a Miami Beach building, one of two acts of vandalism in the city involving hateful words and symbols currently under investigation.
Forty-five-year-old David Carroll was taken into custody near Ocean Drive and 12th Street, just after 6 p.m. on Friday.
According to Miami Beach Police, they received reports of a man drawing on the wall of a private building.
When officers approached him, detectives said, Carroll told them he was homeless and that he is a retired artist trying to fix an antisemitic drawing.
However, investigators said, the colors of the hate symbol were the same colors of the markers that Carroll had in his hands.
Saturday afternoon, Carroll stood before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge William Altfield.
“He did not have malicious intent. He said he was an artist. In fact, it looks like — and I could be wrong — but from what I’m reading, he was attempting to cover up a swastika,” said the attorney representing the suspect.
The swastika has since been covered up with turquoise paint.
Further north in North Beach, an electrical box along the 1200 block of Normandy Drive was vandalized with hateful words directed against Israel.
A picture shared with 7News shows the words “[Expletive] Israel” written in red on the box.
As for Carroll, he was given a $500 bond. He is facing charges of criminal mischief and destruction of historic property.