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LAPD Arrests Suspect in Donald Trump’s Walk of Fame Star Vandalism

A suspect accused of vandalizing and destroying Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame early Wednesday morning has been arrested, LAPD Sgt. Barry Montgomery confirmed to Variety.

According to the LAPD, the suspect is a white male who was arrested while en route to giving a speech. He was detained by officers from the Hollywood division on suspicion of felony vandalism.

The suspect is being booked right now in downtown L.A. Men’s Central Jail. LAPD have confirmed the suspect is James Otis.

In a video first obtained by Deadline, a man dressed like a construction worker smashes the star with a sledgehammer and pickaxe. The landmark was destroyed less than two weeks before the 2016 presidential election, which sees Trump running on behalf of the GOP.

“People can make a difference by voting and not destroying public property,” Leron Gubler, President/CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which administers the Walk of Fame, said in a statement.

Although Trump’s star has seen its fair share of vandalism since he announced his presidential campaign (including the erection of a barbed-wire fence around it), this is the most damaging incident since it was placed on the historic street in January of 2007.

The star is located on the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard.

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