Man arrested for damaging statue outside St. Louis

SF. LOUIS (AP) — A man used construction equipment to drop a heavy lift on a sculpture that has stood for 25 years outside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, seriously damaging her, police said.

It was not immediately clear whether the Angel of Harmony, which stood 14 feet (4.3 meters) tall and depicts a black angel protecting three children of different races, could be saved. St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that part of one of the children was broken and the angel’s wings appeared to be damaged.

The motive for Tuesday night’s vandalism was unknown, said police, who arrested a 35-year-old suspect.

The Angel of Harmony, created by Polish sculptor Wiktor Szostalo, was installed in 1999, a few months after Pope John Paul II’s visit to St. Louis. The angel’s wings include over 100 wind chimes and children play instruments. Inscribed on the pedestal are quotes from the New Testament, Pope John Paul II and Martin Luther King Jr.

“The Angel of Harmony has graced the plinth of our city’s Cathedral since 1999 as a happy reminder that our diversity is something to celebrate, that truth, beauty and goodness unite us all,” St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski said in a statement. “We need to be reminded of this daily. We are still learning about the extent of the damage, with great hope that this special sculpture can be restored.”

Police arrived at the ornate Catholic cathedral in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis after a caller reported a man tampering with construction equipment. The statue had been knocked off its pedestal. Police said the suspect apparently fired a shot into an unoccupied car. It was not clear why.

Surveillance video helped officers pinpoint the man. The police spotted him, but he ran away. A police dog helped him find the suspect hiding a few blocks from the cathedral.

The man was charged Wednesday with institutional vandalism, two counts of criminal damage, tampering, unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest.

Photo: The “Angel of Harmony” sculpture was damaged outside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, Wednesday, September 18, 2024, in St. Louis. (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

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