7 People Charged In Connection With Vandalism Of 'The Bean'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Bond was set at $10,000 on Thursday for two men charged with felonies for allegedly spraying graffiti on "The Bean" at Millennium Park and the Cancer Survivors' Garden at Maggie Daley Park. Five other people arrested in connection with the vandalism were charged with lesser crimes.
Tino Guzman and Rey Ortega, both 20, were each charged with one felony count of criminal damage to government property and one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass to state land.
At their first court appearance Thursday afternoon, a judge set their bond at $10,000, meaning they must post $1,000 to be released from custody. Defense attorneys said Guzman lives with his girlfriend and works as a cashier at a restaurant; Ortega lives in Midlothian and works at a trailer repair company.
Four other adults -- Angel Diaz, 20; Robert Rickard, 20; Chasity Guzman, 21; and Guadalupe Carrillo, 20 -- were charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass to state land. They were due to appear in misdemeanor court on July 29.
A 17-year-old boy was charged with a municipal code violation for being in a public park after hours.
Evidence against the suspects includes paint on their clothes, spray cans, eyewitness accounts and surveillance footage.
"Defendant Ortega exited the vehicle with a black shirt around his neck and a spray paint can in his hand," said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Jeannine Guzolek during the hearing.
The prosecution's timeline begins at 11:12 Monday night with security footage of Ortega parking a dark sedan on nearby Randolph with three passengers.
"Pod cameras show defendant Ortega spray painting into the air," said Guzolek.
The group is documented on surveillance video heading first to Maggie Daley Park, meeting up with three or four others, which is consistent with the seven total suspects Chicago police arrested that night, and then eventually making their way to the iconic "Bean."
Just after midnight, police responded to a trespassing call in Millennium Park, which is closed between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Officers found the words "35th Crew" and other graffiti had been spray-painted on famed artist Anish Kapoor's "Cloud Gate," more commonly known as "The Bean."
The taggers also sprayed similar graffiti on the memorial walls in the the Cancer Survivors' Garden at Maggie Daley Park, as well as at least one park bench.
The taggers were allegedly caught in the act by an off duty security officer while spray painting nearby benches.
"Vandalism to Chicago's iconic 'Cloud Gate' is reprehensible," Department of Cultural Affairs spokeswoman May May stated in an email.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot expressed her anger at the vandalism.
"I was pretty pissed off. Look, some things should be sacred," she said.
In addition to "The Bean" and the Cancer Survivors' Garden at Maggie Daley Park, the taggers also spray-painted garbage cans and park benches throughout Millennium Park.
Crews were out early Tuesday morning using special chemicals and brushes to scrub the graffiti, and it was cleared before 11 a.m.
Friends and family in court hid their faces, declining to speak, but their defense attorney did, offering few details.
"I don't think there should be any rush to judge or vigilante justice until everyone's had their day in court," he said.
