Image sources: KSDK (left), SLMPD (right)
CV NEWS FEED // A suspect has been charged on counts of property damage and institutional vandalism, among other charges, after dropping a boom lift onto the Angel of Harmony statue outside of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.
The vandalism took place on September 17, according to local news outlet KSDK.
According to CatholicVote’s Violence Tracker, there have been more than 450 attacks or vandalisms against Catholic churches in the United States since May 2020.
On September 18, St. Louis’ police department posted to its X account that a suspect had been arrested in relation to the vandalism. The post explained that officers responded to the Basilica the night before, after receiving a call about “a man tampering with construction equipment.” Upon responding to the scene, the officers discovered that a boom lift had been dropped onto the statue.
“We believe the suspect also fired a shot into an unoccupied car,” the police department stated in the same X thread. “Investigators reviewed video surveillance and identified a suspect. Detectives spotted the man as they searched the Central West End but he took off running.”
Law enforcement created a perimeter, and a foot pursuit of the 35-year-old suspect ensued. The suspect was subsequently arrested.
The X thread also included images of the damaged statue.
According to KSDK, Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski of the Archdiocese of St. Louis said in a statement, “The Angel of Harmony has graced the grounds of our city’s Cathedral Basilica since 1999, as a joyful reminder that our diversity is something to be celebrated, that truth, beauty and goodness unite us all.”
“We need to be reminded of that daily,” he added. “We are still learning about the extent of the damage, with great hope that this special sculpture can be restored.”
KSDK reported that the suspect has been identified as Christopher Jaros.
The Circuit Attorney has charged the suspect with two counts of first degree property damage, one count of first degree tampering, one count of unlawful use of a weapon, one count of resisting arrest, and one count of institutional vandalism, according to an X post from Mitchell McCoy, director of St. Louis’ Metro Police Department Public Affairs and Information Division.
