A Texas man was in custody Monday for allegedly vandalizing and carving a Nazi symbol into the base of a large Menorah in Beverly Hills.
Eric Brian King, 47, of Dallas, was booked on suspicion of felony vandalism and a hate crime, Lt. Giovanni Trejo of the Beverly Hills Police Department said. King was being held on $20,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“A despicable act such as this will never be tolerated in our city,” Beverly Hills police Chief Mark Stainbrook said in a statement.
Police went to the area of Sunset Boulevard and Foothill Road about 8 p.m. Sunday on “a report of a suspect defacing a Menorah on private property …,” Trejo said in a statement.
“The suspect was located with the assistance of the police department’s Real Time Watch Center … after surveillance video depicted him throwing objects at a Menorah,” Trejo said. “The initial investigation revealed that King carved Nazi symbols into the base of the Menorah.”
Detectives are conducting a follow-up investigation, which may lead to additional charges being sought against King, Trejo said.
