Man caught on video burning American Flag in Long Beach neighborhood

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Authorities are searching for a man suspected of removing a flag from a Long Beach home and burning it.

Around 8:25 a.m. on July 25, authorities responded to a home in the 6200 block of Pageantry Street on a report of vandalism.

During a preliminary investigation, authorities found that between 12:25 a.m. and 12:50 a.m. a man removed the flag and burned it on the street.

Homeowner John Tyson said he noticed his metal flagpole was leaning against the roof and that the flag was missing around 8 a.m. He looked around and found the remnants of the flag on the street in front of a neighbor's home.

Surveillance video from the home shows that around 12:20 a.m. the suspect walked up to the victim's front porch and began wandering around.

Shortly before 12:50 a.m., the man then removed the flagpole from its base in the yard, laid it down and removed the flag. He then gets behind a car on the street, lights the flag on fire and walks away. No other property was damaged.

The suspect in the video is described as either a Hispanic or white man in his early 20s with a stocky build who has a tattoo on the outside of his left calf and one on the inside of his right calf. He was wearing a monster baseball cap, a T-shirt with a logo on the front and shorts.

The crime is considered a felony and is punishable by up to three years in state prison.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Long Beach Fire/Arson investigator Dennis Zigrang at (562) 570-2575. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call (800) 222-8477.