Graffiti legend COST was arrested on Sunday for allegedly putting up his signature wheatpasted art on scaffolding in the Meatpacking District. He was trailed walking to his car by the Cabaret Unit (a quality-of-life crimes patrol from Manhattan’s 6th Precinct; not the Vandal Squad), carrying “an extendable pole with a wet brush attached to it.” A search warrant was executed on the vehicle on Wednesday, where cops found more street art paraphernalia.
In a gloating press release issued by police, Officer Colin Sullivan admitted to “boring” fellow cops “to death” with his obsession with COST. For the NYPD handout photo, officers can be seen gleaming in front the COST loot, as if it was a giant pile of cocaine or a cache of weapons.
The prolific artist — whose work can be seen all across the city after staging one of the most epic comebacks in graffiti history — was hit with a litany of charges that are standard for an incident like this — making graffiti, possession of a graffiti instrument, and criminal mischief with property damage greater than $250 — all misdemeanors except for property damage, a felony (a non-violent offense with no possible jail time and a maximum of four years probation). He is due in court on October 10th.
In the 1990s, COST gained worldwide attention with his near-mythic partner REVS for their artistic exploits. COST was arrested in 1994 and disappeared for awhile. He remerged in 2005 and again in 2010 with ENX, his new accomplice. “Friends, colleagues, and enemies alike preached to me in my absence and said you must continue on and fill that void,” he told ANIMAL in an interview last year. (Photo: Blaise Cepis/ANIMALNewYork)
