Tampa police took into custody and charged seven people accused of throwing paint on a sidewalk at Curtis Hixon Park.
Police said they were charged with criminal mischief and "possibly" violating a city code related to criminal mischief with damage to city property. The police department said the group had paint hidden in backpacks with rollers and then threw the paint.
"Officers observed it happened with what appeared to be malicious intent to damage city property," the police department said in a news release. "The Chief had a press conference last Thursday and made it clear, ANT group who paints without a permit will be arrested for criminal mischief."
The Tampa Bay Times reported the group was protesting police brutality Saturday evening at the park. Those charged told the newspaper that the painting was "a sort of test" to see if the city and police department would react the same way they did when a "Back the Blue" mural was painted outside the police department without a permit.
According to the city and police, no one involved in the "Back the Blue" painting has been arrested.
