Quick Take
Taj Blum was arrested Tuesday for vandalizing the downtown Black Lives Matter mural with blue paint last summer. A Santa Cruz Police Department media release says there is currently no evidence that the incident is a hate crime.
Santa Cruz police arrested a man on Tuesday suspected of pouring blue paint on the Black Lives Matter mural in front of city hall last summer, but said they did not have enough evidence to charge him with a hate crime.
Police said they arrested Taj Blum, 49, for felony vandalism. At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Santa Cruz Police Chief Bernie Escalante said Blum is a Santa Cruz County resident who lives in the mountains and does not have a previous record with the Santa Cruz Police Department.
Last July, someone splattered blue paint across the letters A and C of the mural. The vandalism happened just over a month after community members gathered to repaint the mural after two men did burnouts over the paint in 2021.
A few days later, the SCPD released security camera stills of the suspect — a white man wearing a light blue shirt, khaki or white shorts, white slip-on sandals and a paper mask on his face.
SCPD investigators said they identified a potential vehicle and person of interest by reviewing security camera footage and through community assistance. Police told Lookout in late December that they were “pretty confident” they had the right person.
Investigators spent the past several months searching Blum’s electronic devices — everything from searches and photos to online presence — for evidence that could allow them to bring hate crime charges, but did not find any.
Escalante said the district attorney’s office will review the case and decide whether to bring any additional charges.
A public records search shows someone of the same name and age with a criminal record in both Oregon and California, including arrests for driving under the influence, disorderly conduct and vandalism.
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