CRIME

Milwaukee bus shelter art mysteriously returned after video captured theft

Jesse Garza

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A one-of-a-kind art piece that was stolen from a Milwaukee County Transit System bus shelter in Walker's Point mysteriously popped up at the shelter over the weekend, transit officials said Monday.

Police are investigating the heist of unique art created by a local artist for a Walker's Point bus shelter, part of an MCTS bus shelter art project conducted with the local arts community. Gloria Ruiz-Santos’ piece, ‘Colorful Serape,’ was installed on a bus shelter at 6th and National on July 30.

However, the artwork entitled "Colorful Serape," which was created by Milwaukee artist Gloria Ruiz-Santos and stolen Sept. 10, was damaged and will have to be replaced, according to a news release.

Gloria Ruiz-Santos was the artist that made the piece entitled "Colorful Serape" that graced a Milwaukee County Transit System bus shelter on South 6th Street and West National Avenue.

Someone placed the artwork back at the shelter at South 6th Street and West National Avenue on Saturday, one day after bus surveillance video of the thief was shown on local news outlets, according to the release.

The video shows the man peeling down the four 24-by-54-inch panels that make up the image of a Mexican serape emblazoned with an Aztec calendar from the shelter at the northwest corner of the intersection.

It then shows the man boarding a westbound Blue Line bus and exiting at Cesar Chavez Drive.

Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call Milwaukee police at (414) 933-4444.