A 35-year-old man has been arrested for vandalizing the Angel of Harmony statue at the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis. Police say he used a boom lift to damage the statue, an act captured on surveillance footage. Officers were first called to the scene around 8 p.m. about a man tampering with construction equipment. They also found an unoccupied car with a gunshot hole, which led them to discover the damaged statue, according to First Alert 4.
Following a review of surveillance tapes, the suspect, whose name has not been released, was spotted by police officers and a foot chase ensued, eventually leading to his capture assisted by a K9 unit in the Central West End, at the intersection of Euclid and Maryland avenues. The man tampering with the construction equipment, as explained by KSDK, took off running when approached by the officers.
The Angel of Harmony statue has stood outside the Cathedral Basilica since 1999 and is seen as an emblem of diversity and unity within the community. Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski expressed the importance of the statue in a statement collected by Fox 2, saying, “The Angel of Harmony has graced the grounds of our city’s Cathedral Basilica since 1999, as a joyful reminder that our diversity is something to be celebrated, that truth, beauty and goodness unite us all. We need to be reminded of that daily. We are still learning about the extent of the damage, with great hope that this special sculpture can be restored."
With the suspect now in custody for damaging the statue and firing into an unoccupied car, police say they believe the investigation is still ongoing and will provide updates as new information becomes available. Details regarding the motivation behind the vandalism and any potential charges have not yet been disclosed.
