The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced Tuesday that it had arrested and charged a 24-year old man for the July 2 vandalism of the rainbow pride crosswalk located at the intersection of 14th St and Woodland St in East Nashville.
Isaiah Tester was arrested at his Murfreesboro home and booked into jail on Tuesday evening on a charge of vandalizing government property, according to MNPD.
Excellent news! Thank you to the @MNPDNashville detectives and officers who worked to find this suspect. And thank you East Nashville and beyond for the support of the LGBTQ Community! #NashvilleRainbowCrosswalk #MetroCouncilNash #LGBTQCaucus_Nash pic.twitter.com/AP9M2Hm07c
— Emily Benedict (@emilyfor7) August 21, 2024
On the day of the July 2 vandalism, surveillance cameras overlooking the intersection where the rainbow crosswalk was painted just three days prior captured a man – now suspected to be Tester – in a white Ford transit van driving over the crosswalk while dumping black paint out of his driver’s side window onto the pavement.
MNPD said the information leading to Tester’s identification as a suspect in the crime came from a tip sent to the Nashville Crime Stoppers.
“The investigation shows that Tester worked for a vehicle window replacement company, was driving one of his employers vans on July 2, and is believed to have used windshield prep primer to deface the crosswalk,” MNPD explained in a press release.
MNPD added that Tester allegedly admitted to defacing the crosswalk to a coworker and was subsequently fired from his job.
Tester also reportedly admitted to the vandalism in an interview with MNPD detectives upon his arrest.
Information provided by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office shows that Tester was released from custody shortly after his arrest.
After the July 2 vandalism, organizers and volunteers who painted the original crosswalk gathered again on July 13 to repaint the crosswalk.
The crosswalk was approved as a result of a collaboration between the Metro Nashville LGBTQ Caucus, the Nashville Department of Transportation, Metro Nashville Council Member Clay Capp, and Nashville Pride.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
