World
17:25, 26-Jul-2018
Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star destroyed by vandal
Updated
17:26, 29-Jul-2018
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A man vandalized US President Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a pickax early on Wednesday and later surrendered to police, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said.
“A pickax was used in vandalizing the star” embedded in the sidewalk near Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Los Angeles at about 3:30 a.m., Sergeant Ray Brown of the LAPD said.
A worker removes the remains of the star of US President Donald J. Trump on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after it was destroyed by a vandal early morning, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo
A worker removes the remains of the star of US President Donald J. Trump on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after it was destroyed by a vandal early morning, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo
Installed in 2007, Trump’s star has been frequently vandalized since he was elected president in 2016.
The suspect, 24-year-old Austin Clay, was in custody at the Los Angeles County Jail on a charge of felony vandalism with a bail of 20,000 US dollars, jail records showed.
As pedestrians walked by the site, in an area popular with tourists, Gregg Donovan, 58, of Los Angeles, stood by with a “Trump 2020” sign, saying he was protecting it from further damage.
“It’s a California landmark,” Donovan said. “Don’t take your anger out on a tourist landmark.”
The star was nearly completely destroyed with graffiti scrawled on it.
Greg Donovan, 58, stands on US President Donald Trump's vandalized star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, Los Angeles, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo
Greg Donovan, 58, stands on US President Donald Trump's vandalized star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, Los Angeles, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo
Before being elected president, Trump, 72, was a real estate developer-turned-reality TV star who was producer of the NBC show “The Apprentice” and the Miss Universe pageants.
The suspect pulled a pickax out of a guitar case before striking Trump’s sidewalk honor, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Adrian Rodriguez, a 42-year-old Los Angeles school teacher, said: “I don’t condone vandalism but I can certainly see the frustration... I’m not for Trump but I disagree with this type of protest.”
(Cover image: Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after it was vandalized by a man with a pickax in Hollywood, Los Angeles, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo)
Source(s): Reuters