Man in cowboy hat charged for destroying DC tiki torch statue with skateboard
Nov 01, 2024
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- Another bronze statue turning heads around the District is making headlines this week - but not just for its satirical message.
A tiki torch statue - seemingly intended to mock former President Donald Trump - was destroyed by a man with a cowboy hat and a skateboard just days after it popped up on Freedom Plaza.
The tiki torch statue before it was destroyed. (Courtesy of Chris/DC News Now viewer)
The statue was part of the same series of artwork and under the same permit as the giant bronze poop statue that was spotted on the National Mall last week.
‘Giant bronze poop’ statue ‘honoring’ those involved in Jan. 6 riot appears on National Mall
On Wednesday, officers responded to a call for vandalism in the area of Freedom Plaza just after 6 p.m. The United States Park Police (USPP) said to look out for two men - one of whom was wearing all black and a cowboy hat, riding a skateboard. The other man also had a skateboard.
Someone had recorded a video of the two men destroying the tiki torch statue using their skateboards.
The statue was found in multiple pieces.
The suspect in the cowboy hat - Balarama-dasa Olufemi Adesbisi - was arrested while the other man was able to get away on his skateboard.
The video showed Adebisi using his skateboard to chop apart pieces of the statue in a "wood chopping motion," according to arrest records. He was charged with destruction of property.
While searching him, officers also found crack cocaine in a small bag on Adebisi and charged him with Possession of a Controlled Substance.