Police said a man was arrested after he spray-painted over dozens of victims' names at the north pool of the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan. NBC New York's Chris Jose reports.

A man was arrested after he spray-painted over dozens of victims' names at the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan, police said.

The suspect appeared to have recorded himself carrying out the stunt at the North Pool that sparked outrage among many, both locally and across the country.

The man seen with the can of spray paint identified himself as Jon Tijerina. The political stunt was done to promote his gun control website, where Tijerina has demanded universal background checks and a universal gun registry.

Video showed him covering with red paint some of the names etched in stone of those killed in the terror attacks at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Tijerina was taken into custody and charged with criminal mischief, making graffiti and possession of graffiti instruments. According to the criminal complaint, a security officer saw Tijerina in the act and confessed on the spot that he’s responsible.

Elected leaders voicing their outage.

“The 9/11 memorial is a sacred space. Any defacement of the memorial, no matter the reason or cause, is wholly unacceptable," said New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin.

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“This is a vile, disgraceful crime…To see those names defaced is sickening," former New York Gov. George Pataki posted on social media.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the 9/11 Memorial and Museum described the incident as "brief," adding it was "swiftly addressed by security staff and law enforcement, and the impacted area was immediately restored."

According to the criminal complaint, Tijerina had two cans of spray paint. On social media, his group described him as a civil resistance organizer who has been arrested in multiple states.

This story originally appeared on NBCNewYork.com .