Lawrence Hawkins, 46, of Boston set out on an overnight vandalism spree this weekend, targeting multiple sites downtown with a trail of glass and debris left in his wake. His targets: The Holocaust Memorial and the resting places of America’s revolutionaries
The rampage reportedly began near 125 Charles Street South, where Hawkins is accused of shattering the door of a business—a brazen act caught on video, soon after the officers noticed another victim, this time it was one of their own cruisers, now sporting a smashed windshield, where surveillance footage once again pinned the suspect.
Continuing his path of destruction, Hawkins allegedly proceeded to Sudbury Street, adding to his criminal portfolio by busting another window. Boston Police stated that video feed later led them to the Holocaust Memorial at 98 Union Street, where the historical site was attacked with bricks.
Cops responded to more mayhem at 15 Court Square and 201 Washington Street, witness to more shattered windows and, they claim, same suspected perpetrator seen entering a shelter, old tombstones felt his rage too. With Paul Revere’s final marker among 14 in the Granary Burying Ground toppled aside or smashed, and in the adjacent King’s Chapel Burying Ground, six more stones desecrated.
Officers used a combination of eyewitness accounts and surveillance technology to track down Hawkins at the shelter located at 112 Southampton Street, where he was apprehended around 4:30 a.m. and transported for booking. Charged with multiple counts including destruction of property and destruction of a place of worship, Hawkins is slated for arraignment in Boston Municipal Court. Yet the extent of his alleged vandalism spree was further brought to light when later investigations linked him to more desecrated heritage sites, leading to additional counts of property destruction and defacement of a burial site.
