Bensonhurst Cops Pursue Abe Lincoln Grafitti Bandit

We reported last week that officers at the 62nd Precinct have been on the hunt for the graffiti artist behind the growing number of Abe Lincoln imprints on walls throughout Southern Brooklyn.

Officials from the precinct announced that they were “closing in” on the person responsible for spray painting the face of the former president on the sides of walls in and around the neighborhood. When Bensonhurst Bean asked Captain William Taylor about the search, the precinct’s commanding officer backtracked, saying that they weren’t closing in on anybody.

Home Reporter has more details on the search, saying that the suspect is a “male Hispanic wearing a blue hard hat and an orange vest with silver reflective stripes.”

The graffiti is believed to be the work of a street artist known as AINAC, or Art Is Not A Crime, who has also spray painted the faces of fictional broadcaster Ron Burgundy and President Barack Obama in areas  from Bay Ridge to Bergen Beach, and possibly further. They also believe he might be responsible for the increasingly ubiquitous “All you need is love” tag that is also making rounds.

The artist has shown a preference for the walls of subway and highway overpasses as his canvas, and dons the costume to appear as if he may be an MTA employee.

Taylor said that the suspect appears to hit the streets between 9:00 p.m. through midnight, and residents should call police if they catch him in the act.