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The incident took place in Westchester County in Scarsdale around 4 p.m., Sunday, June 14, after police received a report that a man was spray-painting graffiti, said Kieran O'Leary, spokesman for the Westchester County Police.
The man, identified as Gabriel Vasquez, of the Bronx, was allegedly spray-painting a wooden fence adjacent to the southbound lanes of the Hutchinson River Parkway, north of Weaver Street, O'Leary said.
As officers approached Vasquez, he allegedly ran across all lanes of the parkway and into a wooded area adjacent to the northbound lanes, losing both of his sneakers in the process, police said.
As other responding officers began a search, passing motorists reported that a man without shoes had just run back across the parkway to the southbound shoulder a short distance away.
Once again, Vasquez entered a wooded area to try to avoid the police.
Officers from the County Police and Scarsdale Police Department canvassed the area for Vasquez. The Aviation Unit helicopter, which was airborne at the time, also responded to assist in the search.
County officers then located a vehicle parked on Stratton Road, not far from the scene of the graffiti, and found Vasquez hiding in the trunk.
Five cans of spray paint were recovered at the scene of the graffiti and 13 similar cans were found in the trunk of his car, police said.
The vehicle, a 2016 Dodge Challenger, was impounded.
Vasquez was charged with making graffiti and possession of graffiti instruments.
He was booked at County Police headquarters in Hawthorne and released on his own recognizance.
Vasquez is scheduled to appear in Scarsdale Village Court on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
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