Six arrests were made after activists pulled down a bronze statue of George Washington near LA City Hall. It all began with a small group of protestors met up in downtown LA near Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration on Thursday. The protestors gathered to speak out against white supremacy and colonialism.
When officers of the LAPD responded to the protest, they saw several of the protestors pulling on red bands that were wrapped around the Grand Park statue of George Washington’s head. As officers continued to look on, some protestors were able to pull the statue down off of its pedestal.
There were six protestors police took into custody, though not before they fled the scene of the vandalism and tried to change clothes somewhere else. Police were able to stop them and book them at the jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.
While the exact nature of the charges is unknown at this time, it’s likely that the pair will face vandalism charges (along with others if they failed to stop when told to do so by officers). Vandalism is covered under California Penal Code 594 PC and is described as maliciously damaging, destroying, or defacing another person’s property. When the damage is valued at less than $400 the crime is charged as a misdemeanor. If the value of the damage is $400 or more, it’s typically filed as a felony.
Vandalism is usually charged when someone breaks a window, spray paints graffiti, or smashes a mailbox. However, there are other instances where vandalism can be charged that you may find surprising.
- If a man and woman get into an argument and the man smashes dishes that they both own, he could be charged with vandalism
- Writing your name in wet cement
- Scratching the paint on someone’s car
When vandalism is charged as a misdemeanor the potential penalties include up to 1 year in county jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. If charged as a felony, the potential penalties include Up to 1 year in county jail and/or fines of anywhere between $10,000 and $50,000 depending on the circumstances of the crime.
