Graffiti Mystery Tags Oklahoma

ZAR, one of the biggest mysteries in Oklahoma City, is receiving growing attention as the three-letter word is illegally painted on surfaces across the metro.

Thursday, March 5th 2009, 10:00 pm

By: News 9


By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- ZAR, one of the biggest mysteries in Oklahoma City, is receiving growing attention as the three-letter word is illegally painted on surfaces across the metro.

ZAR is painted on railcars, building, walls and highway signs.

The ZAR tagger or taggers have eluded police for months. They target big buildings, expensive electronic signs, and billboards.

Police said the doodles, as artistic as they may be, could pose a serious risk for drivers.

"Everybody notices it," said Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow. "Everybody sees it and when you look at it, you take a minute and take your eyes off the road and sometimes that's all it can take for an accident or something like that."

Police have no idea who or what ZAR is, but a simple search on the Internet shows the phenomenon stretches from coast to coast and not just in Oklahoma.

Juan Guerrero knows a thing or two about graffiti and said whoever is doing it craves attention.

"This is an individual person who is going around putting his logo on things," Guerrero said.

Juan and his non-profit group, "Establishing a Great Society," spends each weekend cleaning up neighborhood graffiti. He said the ZAR is not a typical vandal.

"You can tell he's one of those people who carries a backpack," Guerrero said. "You know, maybe a civilized person like us."

So far, property damage totals are more than $26,000, making the creative crime a felony.

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