Virginia Man Arrested for Smashing Iwo Jima Statue with Sledgehammer
Authorities estimate the damage to the monument at the Marine Corps Base Quantico will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair.
A 27-year-old Virginia man, Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, has been arrested and charged with felony destruction of property, trespass with intent to damage property, and felony injury to a monument for allegedly using a sledgehammer to behead a statue at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico.
Prince William County police officers responded to a report of property destruction near Richmond Highway on the base around 10 p.m. Wednesday. Upon arrival, they found Soriano actively damaging the Iwo Jima statue with a sledgehammer and detained him without incident.
Officials reported that the statue sustained significant damage. One figure had its head completely removed, another had gouge marks on its helmet and face, and a third figure had its bayonet broken off.
Prince William County police stated that the estimated cost to repair the damage is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Iwo Jima statue at Quantico is a small-scale replica of the United States Marine Corps War Memorial, originally created by Felix DeWeldon in 1945. The memorial commemorates the fierce battle for Iwo Jima in World War II, where over 800 American soldiers lost their lives.
Soriano is being held at the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center without bond. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Prince William County Police Department tipline. It remains unclear if the U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico has plans for the statue's restoration.