Police seize more than $10,000 worth of spray paint from suspected Portland graffiti supplier

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) – Portland police raided the home of a graffiti vandal Tuesday after a recent viral YouTube video highlighted the suspect.

According to the Portland Police Bureau, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a home located in the 1800 block of 174th Avenue Southeast in the Centennial neighborhood. Police say James S. Fischel, 40, lived in the home.

The investigation began in mid-May when law enforcement was alerted to a YouTube documentary series called CHAOSTOWN. The title of the episode was “Portland Loses the Graffiti War” and featured Fischel, who went to great lengths to try to hide his identity.

Investigators say Fischel is responsible for tagging GIMER (Graffiti Is Me Escaping Reality) across the city and supplying graffiti vandals with supplies.

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Police were able to identify Fischel and the house where he hides his abundant supply of spray paint, or as Fischel called it in the docuseries, “every graffiti artist's fantasy.” During the search, police confiscated more than 1,500 cans of spray paint totaling more than $10,000.

While authorities say Fischel is currently out of the area, law enforcement knows his location and is pursuing criminal charges. Police say they are actively continuing to investigate this and other cases of graffiti-related vandalism in the city.

PPB urges anyone with information about the vandals to email tips to investigators at [email protected] Attn: Central NRT.