ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — The truck driver accused of defacing St. Pete's Progressive Pride Flag street mural on Central Avenue and 25th Street in May has been arrested, the St. Petersburg Police Department said in a news release.
Antonio Silvestri, 30, is being charged with felony criminal mischief and racing on a street, officers said. Surveillance video taken from Ride-em Cowboy, a nearby country bar, allegedly shows Silvestri in a white truck grinding tire marks into the mural on May 17.
This marks the second arrest related to defacing the Pride mural. More footage taken at 3:45 a.m. on May 22 from the bar allegedly shows Christian Maler, 18, doing circular "doughnut-burnouts" in his car on the mural. He was arrested last week and is facing the same charges as Silvestri, St. Pete police said in a separate statement.
Footage of both incidents can be viewed below:
Officers say both incidents cost the city $1,110 to clean the mural.
The footage prompted a response from St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch on Instagram. The mayor said there is "no place for hate in St. Petersburg" and that his office "stands united" in valuing citizens "regardless of their orientation, gender identity or expression."
"Our differences make St. Pete the vibrant and diverse community we cherish," Welch said in the Instagram post.
The city and volunteers were able to clean the mural in time for Pride Month festivities, St. Pete police said. The investigation is reportedly still active.