Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, 27, has been arrested after police say he damaged the Iwo Jima monument at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, with a hammer. The head of one of the figures of a U.S. Marine was snapped off the statue and the damage was estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Prince William County police responded to the scene at about 10:13 p.m. on Oct. 21 after a report of property damage. Police said officers found Soriano “actively damaging the statue with a hammer” and took him into custody without incident.
Charges against the arrested
Soriano, of Stafford, is charged with aggravated criminal damage to property, trespassing with intent to cause property damage and aggravated criminal damage to a monument. He remains in custody without bail, and a court date has not been set. The charges do not constitute a finding of guilt, and police have not released a possible motive for his actions.
Photos from the scene show that in addition to the severed head, the face and helmet of another figure were damaged, as was the bayonet of a weapon depicted on the third Marine. Investigators have not yet said whether the monument can be restored or what the final cost will be.
The Monument at the Entrance to Quantico
The limestone sculpture is about 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall and depicts the raising of the American flag on the island of Iwo Jima in February 1945. It was created by sculptor Felix de Weldon and is located near the entrance to the base and the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
The monument at Quantico is a smaller replica of the famous Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington, which was also the work of de Weldon. The larger bronze version is dedicated to Joe Rosenthal's famous photograph of the raising of the American flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Sources: nypost.com, nbcwashington.com, fox5dc.com