May 13--Herbert Pulgar was 15 when his winning design for a Chicago city sticker was scrapped amid questions about whether the artwork contained gang symbols.
Pulgar, now 18, is in the news again after he was arrested this week while allegedly driving a stolen van.
Pulgar was driving a Chevy Astro van in the 2800 block of North Kedzie Avenue when he was spotted committing a "minor traffic violation" around 3:40 a.m. Tuesday, police said. Officers ran the license plate and discovered the van had been reported stolen, police said.
The officers pulled the van over and Pulgar ran away but was caught a short distance away, police said.
He was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, police said. He was due in bond court Wednesday.
In 2012, Pulgar's artwork was picked as the design for that year's city stickers. It showed four hands reaching upward toward symbols of Chicago police, firefighters and paramedics.
After a popular police blog raised questions about the artwork, the city clerk's office decided to consult with gang experts to see whether the city should stick with the winning entry. The office concluded that the position of the hands "could be misinterpreted" as gang signs.
The design of the first runner-up was chosen instead. Later that year, however, the artwork was displayed in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Pulgar and his mother traveled to see the exhibit at the request of Rep. Luis Gutierrez.
