Man Arrested for Allegedly Decapitating Iwo Jima Statue Figure with Sledgehammer
Police estimate hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to the monument near Quantico.
A Virginia man has been arrested and charged with felony destruction of property and injury to a monument after allegedly using a sledgehammer to decapitate a figure on an Iwo Jima statue near Marine Corps Base Quantico. The incident caused an estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
Prince William County Police responded to reports of vandalism at the statue, located near Richmond Highway and Fuller Road in Quantico, Virginia, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, around 10:13 p.m. Officers arrived to find the suspect, identified as Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, 27, of Stafford, Virginia, striking the monument with a sledgehammer.
The damage to the limestone sculpture, which depicts the famous flag-raising on Iwo Jima during World War II, was extensive. Authorities reported that one Marine figure was completely decapitated, while other figures sustained damage to their helmets, faces, and equipment.
Maldonado Soriano faces charges of felony destruction of property, trespassing with intent to damage property, and felony injury to a monument. He is being held without bond, and a court date has not yet been set. Police have not yet disclosed a motive for the alleged vandalism.
The damaged statue is a 9-foot limestone sculpture created by Felix de Weldon, who also designed the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. The monument is situated near the entrance to Marine Corps Base Quantico and the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Quantico has been a significant installation for military training and education for generations, and parts of the base were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 as the Quantico Marine Corps Base Historic District.