Suspect arrested in vandalism of Trump's Hollywood star, LAPD says
HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The man who vandalized Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame said he has no regrets, even though the act resulted in his arrest on felony vandalism charges.
James Otis, who said he is an heir to the Otis Elevator family and his great-grandfather invented Listerine, spoke to the media after his release on bail.
"I'm not at all ashamed of what I've done," Otis said, speaking with his attorney by his side. "What Mr. Trump has done is he's derailed the entire election. I got so upset. I got so frustrated and angry and that's why I did this."
Otis originally planned to auction off the brass nameplate he removed from the sidewalk and give the money to the women that Trump has allegedly sexually assaulted. He thought the Hollywood Walk of Fame would allow him to keep the piece because it was damaged, but they said no and he returned it Thursday morning.
His next court date is Nov. 18.
"I admitted my mistakes," Otis said. "And I'm now dealing with my consequences. Unlike Mr. Trump who has never admitted what he's done."
Otis was arrested early Thursday in connection the vandalism of Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,
He was taken into custody without incident and was booked on felony vandalism at the Men's Central Jail in downtown, according to the LAPD.
Otis donned a construction hat and vest and placed barriers around the sidewalk to make it appear as if he was a construction worker, and used a sledgehammer and pickax to destroy the star.
According to several witnesses, the incident began at about 6 a.m. and did not initially seem unusual.
"Because he had on a vest, a construction vest, he had on a construction hat, he had the dividers, so I just thought he worked for the city," Gregory Howie, a street artist, said of the vandal.
Leron Gubler, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which maintains the Walk of Fame, later released a statement regarding the matter:
"The Hollywood Walk of Fame is an institution celebrating the positive contributions of the inductees. When people are unhappy with one of our honorees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways than to vandalize a California State landmark. Our democracy is based on respect for the law. People can make a difference by voting and not destroying public property."
Repair work on the star started just hours after the vandalism. Gubler said the brass lettering had been reinstalled, and that the terrazzo would take several days to several days to season.
"Once we deem it's ready, they'll come back and polish the star," Gubler said. "It will look as good as new."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
