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LOA ANGELES, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's red star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame was smashed into pieces Wednesday by a man who dressed up as a construction worker.
The incident happened at around 5:45 am. According to cellphone videos shot by witness and released on Youtube, a man wearing a bright-orange construction vest set up construction cones and barriers around Trump' s star before smashing it into pieces with a sledgehammer and a pickax.
"When people are unhappy with one of our honourees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways than to vandalize a California state landmark," Leron Gubler, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said in a statement criticizing the vandalism.
"Our democracy is based on respect for the law. People can make a difference by voting and not destroying public property," Gubler added.
The iconic gold inlaid red star was covered with cement fillings before it is repaired which process would take several days according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
This incident was under investigation by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), but a man identified as Jamie Otis claimed responsibly for it earlier.
He told the Deadline Hollywood website that he intended to destroy the star and to auction the pieces off to raise money for the 11 women accusing Trump of groping them, which action the GOP presidential candidate has denied repeatedly.
It is not the first time that Trump' s star has been vandalized since he announced the presidential bid. It was spray-painted with a swastika and a "mute" icon before, and a miniature border wall was also built in a separated incident.
LAPD estimated that the latest vandalization would cost about 2,500 U.S. dollars to repair the star. The vandalism charge can lead to a three-year maximum jail time and a minimum 10,000 U.S. dollars fine, according to California law.
Trump yet responded to the destruction of his iconic star, which was dedicated to him in 2007 for his contributions in NBC's reality TV show "The Apprentice."
