NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Police arrested a man who spray painted the words "Bird God" on the side of the arch in Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza on Sunday afternoon. Officials say after 36-year-old Denis Shelagin took a cherry cherry picker crane to spray paint the words but when police tried to coax him down he claimed not to know how to lower the cherry picker.
ESU officials were called to the scene to get Shelagin down.
Shelagin, an out of towner from Spokane Valley, Washington is facing charges including graffiti, criminal mischief and possession of grafitti instruments, police said.
So far no charges for desecrating the memories of union civil war veterans.
The graffiti was later covered up a by a blue tarp ahead of a Menorah lighting ceremony that Mayor Bill de Blasio was set to attend.
