Sledgehammer Attack on Iwo Jima Statue Near Quantico: Man Arrested After Marine Figure Decapitated
A Virginia man has been arrested after allegedly using a sledgehammer to knock the head off a Marine figure depicted in an Iwo Jima statue near Marine Corps Base Quantico, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to the historic military monument, police said.
Officers with the Prince William County Police Department responded at about 10:13 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, to reports of vandalism at the statue near Richmond Highway and Fuller Road in Quantico, Virginia.
Police identified the suspect as Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, 27, of Stafford, Virginia, who was allegedly striking the monument with a sledgehammer when officers arrived.
Authorities said Maldonado Soriano was detained and arrested after officers discovered extensive damage to the limestone sculpture, which commemorates one of the most recognizable moments in American military history.
The damage included the complete removal of one Marine's head, along with damage to other figures depicted raising the American flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II, according to authorities.
Images of the damaged monument show the figure farthest to the right missing its head, while another Marine has visible gouges across his helmet and face, police said. A third figure sustained damage to a bayonet attached to a firearm slung over his back. Police estimated the damage would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair.
Maldonado Soriano faces three charges: 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 announced.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the alleged attack or indicated whether the monument can be repaired.
The damaged statue is a 9-foot limestone depiction of the iconic World War II flag-raising on Mount Suribachi during the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima.
It was sculpted by Felix de Weldon, who later created the massive bronze Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. The smaller monument stands near the entrance to Marine Corps Base Quantico, close to the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Quantico, a major Marine Corps installation in northern Virginia, has served as a center for military training and education for generations. In 2001, portions of the installation were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Quantico Marine Corps Base Historic District, encompassing 122 buildings, two landscapes, a sculpture and a water tower.
The accused will be produced before a court as the case proceeds. Local residents are now waiting for the relevant authorities to decide on repairing the monument.
