Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Art / News French Graffiti Artist Nabbed for Tagging MTA Trains
Posted by Benjamin Sutton on Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 9:47 AM
Last week 25-year-old French graffiti artist Maxime Bezat—whose tag reads "RASK"—was arraigned in Brooklyn Supreme Criminal Court on felony charges for tagging two trains. Bezat was arrested in early December at Newark Airport, where he was checking into a flight back to Paris. He was first taken to Boston, where his tag was found on a Red Line train (pictured). Last week's charges in Brooklyn are expected to be the first of many for the young artist.
Bezat may have tagged as many as a dozen MTA train cars over the last two years during nighttime visits to subway tunnels and train yards in Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan, a source tells the Daily News. "He’s not leaving the country any time soon," said the source.
Prosecutors in the case want Bezat to pay the $1,400 it cost the MTA to clean the two trains he tagged in Brooklyn, and for him to serve a 90-day jail sentence. The young Frenchman was released on Thursday after posting bail, and his case has been adjourned until later this month.
Local authorities were apparently warned of Bezat's visit to the U.S. by French police. After he was apprehended at Newark Airport he served time and paid a fine in Boston before being brought to face further charges in Brooklyn.
If only there were more places for young graffiti artists to ply their trade legally... Until then, here's a video of Brezat tagging a train in the Paris metro.
(Animal)
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