A graffiti vandal was captured and arrested after running from officers Thursday.
On September 5, 2024 at 6:32 a.m., Portland Police officers assigned to the Central Precinct Neighborhood Response Team (NRT) and Central Precinct Patrol responded to a call that a vandal was doing a “bombing run” along Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard, and was last seen near the intersection with Southeast 11th Avenue.
A “bombing run” is tagger slang for quickly painting simple tags on many surfaces as the vandal moves through an area.
Officers located the suspect, near Southeast Madison Street and Southeast 6th Avenue. When they tried to stop him, he ran, but was quickly overtaken by police and arrested near Southeast Salmon Street and Southeast Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard.
The suspect, Aiden A. Rivero, 18, of Beaverton, Oregon, was in possession of graffiti supplies, including spray cans and paint markers, which were seized as evidence. One of his tags was documented on a TriMet bus shelter. Rivero was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Criminal Mischief in the First Degree and Escape in the Third Degree.
Rivero, who uses the tagger name “GEM,” is a prolific tagger and is known to Central NRT officers. NRT is investigating at least 20 additional tags and additional charges are possible.
If anyone has information about Rivero, or “GEM” tags, please e-mail crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov attn: Central NRT and reference case number 24-226040.
