Suspected Graffiti Artist Arrested: Portland Police

PORTLAND, OR — Portland police believe they've caught the man responsible for spraying graffiti on an Interstate-84 overpass in the Hollywood district this past June and at a U-Store Self Storage facility earlier this month.

Marcus Edward Gunther, 30, was taken to Multnomah County Jail following his arrest Thursday afternoon. He is charged with three counts of felony criminal mischief. This is the fifth case currently open against Gunther, with two more in Multnomah County and two others in Washington County.

Gunther's Sept. 13 arrest reportedly followed a nearly three-month investigation into a damaged fence and graffiti found on three electronic signs at I-84's Northeast 42nd Avenue overpass on June 29. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), which owns and maintains the fence and signs, reportedly paid $24,910 to repair the damage and remove the graffiti.

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Included in Gunther's indictment are criminal mischief charges related to graffiti found at the U-Store Self Storage facility at 1520 N. Interstate Ave. on Sept. 6.

In both incidents, the suspected graffiti artist left the letters "M-O-O-K" as a tag. As a result of its investigation, the Portland Police Bureau believes MOOK is Gunther's tag.

Officers ask for anyone else who has also been vandalized with the MOOK tag to call 503-823-3333.

Images via Portland Police Bureau