Police Saturday announced the names of three men and three women arrested for allegedly toppling and vandalizing the statue of George Washington in Grand Park.
The vandalism occurred about 6:40 p.m. Thursday in the downtown park, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Officers monitoring a nearby protest saw people pulling on red bands tied to the statue's neck, police said.
The statue broke off of its base and fell to the ground, where it was spray-painted as the six suspects and others cheered and celebrated, police said.
The suspects then hid nearby to change their clothes and conceal items in their backpacks to avoid arrest, police said. But police were waiting when they left the protest at Spring and Temple streets and the six suspects were arrested.
Officers recovered items during the arrest including a gas mask, laser pointer, helmet, goggles, arm protectors and change of clothing, police said.
The suspects were identified as Elizabeth Brookey, 19, of Burbank; Christopher Woodard, 33, of Los Angeles; Anna Asher, 28, of North Hollywood; Emma Juncosa, 23, of Los Angeles; Andrew Johnson, 22, of Glendale and Barham Lashley, 30, of North Hollywood.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
The case will be presented to the District Attorney's Office for consideration of felony filings, police said.
The statue was presented to Los Angeles County on Feb. 22, 1933, the 201st anniversary of Washington's birth, by the Women's Community Service, a part of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
The statue is one of 30 copies of the original granite sculpture of Washington that sits in the Virginia Capitol, according to the Los Angeles Department of Arts and Culture.
