UPDATE 11:20 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the vandalism.
Original story below:
Donald Trump‘s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was vandalized and destroyed with a sledgehammer and pickax on Wednesday, October 26, less than two weeks ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
According to Deadline, which obtained photos and video of the damage, a man dressed as a construction worker viciously demolished the terrazzo and brass star on Hollywood Boulevard at approximately 5:45 a.m. Wednesday.
The vandal, Jamie Otis, told the news outlet that he intended to remove the Republican presidential candidate’s star so he could auction it off in New York City in November to raise money for the numerous women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct. Otis’ removal plan was unsuccessful, and he simply destroyed the star, leaving pieces of rubble scattered nearby.
Deadline reported that Otis attracted little attention as he vandalized Trump’s star with a sledgehammer and a pickax. Los Angeles Police Department officers were not nearby, despite the location being a popular tourist destination.
This is not the first time the former Celebrity Apprentice host’s star has been defaced this year. In January, a reverse swastika was spray-painted on Trump’s star. Then, in July, a Los Angeles–based street artist built a miniature wall (barbed wire and all) around the attraction, a clear nod to Trump’s adamant vow to build a wall between the United States and Mexico should he defeat Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on November 8.
The real estate mogul was inducted into the Walk of Fame in January 2007 in honor of his hosting gig on The Apprentice.