Video: Skateboarder Throws Paint At George Floyd Statue

NEW YORK CITY — A paint-throwing vandal who defaced a statue of George Floyd faces a hate crimes probe, police said.

Video from Union Square Park on Sunday shows a man with a skateboard roll past the Floyd statue and toss a container of gray paint on it.

Police called it a "criminal mischief" incident, but noted a more serious crime is being investigated.

"The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident," a release states.

The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin sparked a reckoning over race and police brutality across the nation last year, including in New York City.

Floyd, in death, became a symbol of a social justice awakening. His memory also became a target of hate groups.

A group of four suspects recently spray-painted a statue of Floyd in Brooklyn. They defaced it with the name of a white nationalist hate group, authorities said.

The Union Square suspect is described as a man with a medium build and last seen wearing a black hat, a dark green jacket, a neon green T-shirt, black shorts, black and white sneakers and a green backpack.

He was last seen in the park's south plaza Sunday about 10:15 a.m. He skateboarded headed north along the park's west edge, police said.

People with information can call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit tips online by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.