Portland Skateboarder Wanted on Graffiti Charges Turns Himself In

A professional Portland skateboarder turned himself in this morning after police issued a warrant for his arrest over the weekend. Emile Laurent is also allegedly a graffiti artist. In a press release, police accused him of causing over $10,000 in damage.

They searched his house earlier this year and found a small bag of “heavy markers,” which they photographed and distributed to the media. They did not include any images of the damage.

The mug shots they did release, however, match the visage of a skateboarder who has made waves with a series of videos shot around the Portland area. In one, he lands a series of tricks after launching himself off a tree in Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

Laurent is accused of tagging at least 14 buildings with “TENDO,” thought to be shorthand for “Nintendo,” according to a statement released by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office earlier this afternoon.

The police called Laurent a “prolific graffiti vandal.” Boardworld called him “the ultimate skater’s skater.” He’s sponsored by the Swedish apparel firm Polar Skate Co.

Laurent not only rides skateboards for Polar, he illustrates them. He’s also credited in a music video by the rapper Aesop Rock.

Polar did not respond to an emailed request for comment. A Polar team member declined to comment when reached by phone over the weekend.

The unusual move to release Laurent’s mug shot over the weekend came as Portland officials seek to crack down on the property tagging that became commonplace during the pandemic.

The 22-year-old Laurent is accused of 25 counts of criminal mischief.

Six victims are named in Laurent’s indictment, including a storage company, an ambulance company, a construction company, and Portland General Electric.

It is not Laurent’s first brush with the law. In 2017, he was cited for skateboarding on the sidewalk downtown. A year later, he was charged with criminal mischief although the case was later dropped. The address for Laurent listed in that complaint is the same address as Outside In, a social services organization that helps homeless youth.

Laurent is currently in jail. He has yet to be assigned an attorney.