According to a report in the L.A. Times, legendary street artistSpace Invader was detained in Los Angeles last Friday. Invader, known for his colorful mosaics inspired by the classic arcade game from which he takes his name, is believed to have been one of two French nationals detained by the LAPD on suspicion of vandalism. A cousin of Thierry Guetta, aka Mr. Brainwash, Space Invader is a French citizen who keeps his identity secret, pixellating his face in video footage and photography.

The police claim to have caught the two taggers near Los Angeles MOCAin Little Tokyo, hanging out by a historic building with buckets of grout and some tile pieces. The duo have been released while the investigation continues, but a police spokesman said that after they were let go, Invader’s trademark mosaics were discovered attached to several other buildings, including MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary.

MOCA, of course, is hosting the epic street art celebration “Art in the Streets,” which features numerous works by Space Invader (the museum is even selling Space Invader keychains for $7). The artist’s personal Web site, meanwhile, features a digital floor plan of MOCA’s space, evidently illustrating the locations of Invader pieces placed placed around the exhibition. Clicking on the icons on the map opens a video that seems to show the artist placing one of his blue-tiled mosaics somewhere in the scaffolding above the “Art in the Street” galleries, as security guards walk by beneath.