LOS ANGELES, Oct. 27 (UPI) — The man who destroyed Donald Trump‘s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has come forward to say he’s “proud” of what he did and will pay the penalty.
Jamie Otis, the heir to the Otis Elevator fortune, told NBC4 News in Washington, D.C., he destroyed Trump’s star as an act of “civil disobedience” and has since turned himself in to police to face his punishment.
Video of Otis disguised as a construction worker was taken by the gossip site Deadline Hollywood. In it, Otis takes a pickaxe to Trump’s star, destroying it.
Otis said he camped out near the star for several nights devising a plan for how to pull off the stunt.
“It was an act of civil disobedience, freedom of expression,” Otis told NBC4. “I did it, and I’m very happy I did it, and I’m proud that I did it.”
Otis, who has been arrested more than a dozen times for various protests, said he will accept whatever punishment is levied.
“I admitted I’ve broken the law, I’ve vandalized, I’ve stolen, and now I’m going to go get my punishment,” Otis said. “And that’s something Mr. Trump has never done.”
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a registered national landmark and administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed Otis had been arrested but the charges have not been made public. In California, a charge of felony vandalism could carry up to a three-year prison sentence and $10,000 fine.
