A Hamilton man has been charged with five counts of mischief after allegedly spray-painting a business in the middle of the day — where employees could see him.

Employees were in the middle of a staff meeting at a business on John Street North and Barton Street East around 11:45 p.m. when they saw someone spray-painting a tag on the side of the building, police say.

They "confronted the man," chased him down and held him until police showed up. Const. Claus Wagner said the employees did all they could to "take pride in their area."

"We're always appreciative when citizens go above and beyond," Wagner said.

Police say they also found four other similar tags on buildings in the area.

A 23-year-old man was arrested and charged with five counts of mischief under $5,000. He was held for a bail hearing.