Police in Richmond, B.C., are seeking suspects in what they call a "shocking rash" of graffiti damage to local monuments.
Richmond RCMP say sometime between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. PT on Feb. 24, someone spray painted the cenotaph — built in 1922 to honour World War I veterans — in front of Richmond City Hall.
"It is shocking to see this kind of damage to monuments in our community. It is disgraceful to deface a monument meant to remember our fallen soldiers," said Cpl. Stephanie Ashton in a statement.
Graffiti has also been found on Olympic legacy monuments and statues along River Road and in the historic Britannia shipyards.
"Graffiti work is something that's kind of a culture, and we do have experts that can often identify who the actual artist is based on what the damage is. Although I would be incorrect to call this artistry. This is damage to monuments. These are not things that we can paint over and fix easily," Ashton told CBC News.
Anyone with information about who might be responsible is being asked to call the Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.