Tony Kim Lim, a 46-year-old Korean American man from Tacoma, Washington, has been charged with first- and third-degree malicious mischief for repeatedly painting freeway walls and public infrastructure with graffiti tags.
According to KOMO News, the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office filed the charges on September 30, 2025, following two incidents on June 1 and October 14, 2024. Lim allegedly spray-painted the word “XCIT” and flower motifs on freeway barriers and city walls. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) estimated that removing the graffiti cost $32,217.
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) arrested Lim twice in 2024. On October 14, troopers said they spotted him painting a wall along northbound Interstate 5 near State Route 7. Surveillance footage captured him tagging the area before he was intercepted by officers as he exited the freeway through a nearby fence. Lim, dressed in black with gloves and a beanie, had red paint stains on his pants and gloves. Troopers found a bag nearby containing spray paint cans, a mask, and magnets allegedly used to muffle sound. When questioned, Lim reportedly told officers he was “just out for a walk.”
Earlier that year, on June 1, troopers observed a man — later identified as Lim — spray-painting the jersey barrier along the SR-7 extension from South 38th Street. Court documents state the “XCIT” tag appeared repeatedly throughout Pierce County, suggesting widespread activity. Troopers said Lim had been previously arrested for similar offenses.
In a GoFundMe post titled “Support XCIT Graffiti Art Tacoma Washington”, Lim described the situation differently. He said, “I love my city of Tacoma and just wanted to spread joy and happiness,” asserting that “there is no actual physical damage as the walls still stand and nobody was ever harmed.” He identified himself as a U.S. Army veteran (1999–2003) and a lifelong Tacoma resident who attended Stewart Middle School, Mount Tahoma High School, and the University of Washington Tacoma.
Lim wrote that his graffiti was intended to “spread peace and love in the city” and “demonstrate that not all graffiti is bad.” He added that he hoped his daisy designs “made people happy.”
He is scheduled to appear in Pierce County Superior Court on Oct. 15.
BY YEONGCHAE SONG [song.yeongchae@koreadaily.com]
