A 33-year-old man believed to be behind graffiti found on a train in the Millbrae BART yard Dec. 5 is facing four years in state prison after he was arrested at the San Francisco International Airport on his way to Sydney, Australia, last week, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
By allegedly spraying 4-foot-by-7-foot words and initials on a train found in Millbrae, Matthew Raoul White is said to have caused damage estimated at $7,000 to $10,000. Believed to be part of the Australian graffiti group Get Hectik, White allegedly spray-painted the moniker “Bamp Floss” and the letters “GH” on the Millbrae train, according to prosecutors.
Though similar graffiti was also found on trains at the Daly City, Richmond and Concord BART yards, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the charges White faces in San Mateo County only pertain to the graffiti found on the train in Millbrae.
Wagstaffe said photos of the graffiti were shown to law enforcement agencies across the globe, and were connected with the group when a detective in New York City recognized the graffiti as similar to writing observed on the New York subway trains. After speaking with an Australian constable who believed the graffiti to be White’s from previous investigations, officials put a warrant out for his arrest, which Wagstaffe said occurred in late December at SFO as White was awaiting a flight to Sydney.
White was allegedly found at the airport with spray paint on his clothes, and pleaded not guilty to two counts of felony vandalism when he appeared in court Monday. He remains in custody on $400,000 bail and will next appear in court Jan. 14 for a preliminary hearing, according to prosecutors.
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(1) comment
If guilty, he should be put to work scrubbing and repainting for the next four years rather than sitting in a cell.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.