Teens cause $15,000 worth of damage vandalizing a Holocaust museum
The suspects were shown bending the metal statues and knocking them down, via surveillance video.
By GADI ZAIGTower of Faces at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum(photo credit: WIKIMEDIA)
Two teens are now in custody for vandalizing five Holocaust statues early Wednesday morning at the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to a report by ABC News.The statues are filled with several hundred stones with the names of Jewish children who were murdered during the Holocaust.The 15- and 16-years-old teens are suspecting of causing roughly $15,000 in property damage, according to the report.The suspects were shown bending the metal statues and knocking them down, via surveillance video. "For those asking about charging with a hate crime, it is only a misdemeanor," police said in a statement. "They were charged with a higher crime felony: vandalism.""The two suspects came through the park area and destroyed the five statues," Tulsa police Lt. William White said.The Tulsa Police Department's Facebook page clarified that "this is an arrest, not a conviction."Due to their age, police will not be releasing their names to the public. Police also reported that the boys allegedly threatened someone with a knife before arriving at the museum, though no one was hurt.On Thursday, the teens were charged with assault in addition to the vandalism they committed, police reported.
In regards to Holocaust education, the US Senate has recently passed a resolution calling on all educational institutions in the state of Utah to teach students about the Holocaust.Tobias Siegal contributed to this report.
