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Man accused of tagging NYC arch with giant 'Bird God' graffiti: Great-great-granddad made me do it

Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn
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NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – The man who police say stole a cherry picker and tagged Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza arch with "Bird God" claims his great-great-grandfather instructed him to carry out the act in a letter from 1960, court docs show.

The New York Post reports that Denis Shelagin, a 36-year-old from Washington State, told police he was worried something would happen to him if he didn't tag the famous arch in Prospect Park. He told cops his granddad ordered him to do it in the 60-year-old letter.


The court docs also shed light on what "Bird God" means.

"People are killing pigeons and chopping their feet up and I had to bring awareness to that," Shelagin allegedly told police after he was rescued from the cherry picker on Sunday night.

The "Bird God" grafitti is estimated to have caused more than $250,000 in damage.

Shelagin faces a long list of charges for the stunt, among them: criminal possession of stolen property, making graffiti, criminal mischief and grand larceny.

He was arraigned Monday and released without bail but is due back in court in March.

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