LAPLACE — A local teen tried to run from police but was captured and arrested early Saturday morning, authorities said.

Deputies from the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to the 600 block of Main Street in LaPlace Saturday after a person reported someone spraying graffiti on a building.

Sgt. Dane Clement said when deputies arrived Chad Michael Petit, 19, fled on foot.  Deputies knew the general direction Petit fled and went after him. After a short pursuit, authorities caught Petit.

According to Jeffery Perilloux, who has an office in the building Petit defaced, the building has been around for over 40 years and this is the first time it has been spray painted.

Petit tagged the side of the building, including the brick and two doors.

Philip Tamburello was in charge of cleaning up the graffiti, which include the phrase “you’ve been tagged” spray painted on the door.

“It took me about four hours with a power hose to get that off the wall,” Tamburello said Monday morning. “It’s going to take about three coats of paint to get this off the doors.”

Deputies arrested Petit and booked him with criminal damage to property by defacing with graffiti and flight from an officer, which are both misdemeanors.

Petit bonded out of jail on a $2,500 bond.

According to Sheriff Mike Tregre, no other complaints were received since the initial incident.

— By Raquel Derganz Baker