Florida man arrested after spray painting 'I can't breathe' on 100 stop signs

ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida man was arrested after reportedly spraying anti-racism messages on 100 stop signs.

Zachary Kato, 32, was arrested Saturday and faces a charge of criminal mischief, according to Volusia County Jail records.

The Port Orange Police Department received reports of several signs across the city that were spray painted with the words “racism” or “I can’t breathe” under the word “stop,” resulting in $12,500 worth of damage, according to an arrest affidavit.

Authorities were able to identify Kato through surveillance footage of multiple areas where the vandalism occurred.

Officers arrived at Kato’s home Friday and discovered a receipt for spray paint, stencils and other evidence.

Kato’s phone was seized in the search, where officers found pictures of the stencils and screenshots of online forums where users were talking about the tagged signs.

After, an officer discovered paint cans in Kato’s trash, which led Kato to say: “(Expletive), (expletive) digging through my trash. I did not take the trash out this morning, (expletive). You petty (expletive), bro. (Expletive) man, ah homeboy just (expletive) walked through with that in his hand digging through the (expletive) garbage. I’m (expletive) now.”

As officers searched his home, Kato continued talking: “You can lock me up and throw away the key. (Expletive) racism, (expletive) white power. I’ll scream it ’til the day I die. I want to see a judge and jury tell me that speaking out against (expletive) racism is wrong. (Expletive) that (expletive). I don’t give a (expletive) what happens.”

Kato has been in and out of law enforcement’s hands since 2005 on a number of different charges including multiple DUIs, highway racing, possession of marijuana and a third degree felony of domestic battery by strangulation, according to Volusia court records. The latter is in reference to a 2013 incident where Kato was in a verbal altercation with his father, Jeffrey, an arrest affidavit shows.

Kato’s brother, Tyler, told authorities he saw Kato tackle their father onto the front porch of their father’s property. Kato then put his father in a choke hold, until he starting turning red and said “I can’t breathe.”

Officers arrested Kato, and in their investigation found a prior arrest in 2005 where he was detained for domestic battery against his father.

In regards to his criminal mischief arrest, Kato paid a $2,500 bond and was released from Volusia County Jail.

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