Two Men See Something, Say Something, and Police Nab Cicero Man on Graffiti Rap

Quick action by two Southwest Side men on Saturday led to the arrest of a 23-year-old Cicero man who reportedly admitted tagging several Garfield Ridge businesses.

Corey A. Davis of the 3100 block of south 49th Avenue was charged with felony criminal

Corey A. Davis

defacement of property. He is due to appear in Cook County Circuit Court Branch 48, 151 West 51st Street, on Friday, April 19. 

At about 6:25 p.m. Saturday, two men (one from Garfield Ridge, one from Scottsdale) were standing outside Bobby G's Tavern, 6843 West Archer, when they said they saw Davis walk past them while shaking a can of spray paint.

The two men followed Davis from a distance, and the Garfield Ridge man called a local police officer he knows. That CPD officer was off-duty at the time but alerted police to the situation, saying that Davis had just tagged the fence at Taco Bell, 6944 West Archer, and was walking west on Archer.

Police responding to the call said they saw Davis in front of Dbam O Zdrowie natural health

7106 West Archer

store, 7106 West Archer. He matched the description given by the witnesses and was taken into custody.

Davis reportedly was wearing a purple latex glove on his right hand and was found to be in possession of a can of purple spray paint, police said. He also reportedly had purple paint stains on his glove, his left sleeve and the left side of his jacket.

He was positively identified by the two witnesses.

When asked why he tagged the fence at Taco Bell, Davis reportedly replied "Because it's what I do. I'm a tagger."

When police asked Davis if he had tagged any other property, he allegedly said "Yes. Just drive east on Archer."

Police did that and discovered similar markings painted in purple on Orland Endodontics, 6715 West Archer; Niego Real Estate, 6625 West Archer; on a trailer parked at Ted's Auto Repair, 6234 South Archer, and on a building at 6161 South Archer.

Officers then asked Davis if the tags were his. He reportedly answered "Yeah. I did those before I tagged Taco Bell."

Davis reportedly told police that he is a student at Morton College and an order picker for Central Grocers. When contacted by the Southwest Chicago Post, a Central Grocers executive stated that Davis has never been employed by the company.

In response to the crime, a Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch officer said the GRNW "...will, of course, follow up on this by approaching the businesses that have been victimized and encouraging them to join our advocates when this case goes to court."

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