Man who destroyed Trump’s Hollywood Star bailed by the last person to do it
Austin Clay had his bail paid for by the previous defacer of the star, James Otis
The man who destroyed Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame yesterday has been bailed out of jail by another man who did the very same thing in 2016.
Austin Clay attacked the star with a pickaxe in the dead of night on Tuesday, before reportedly calling in the crime himself, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Multiple people - including police - tell me a man walked up with a guitar case and pulled out the pick axe. Then, it’s believed, he called police himself to report it, but left the scene before they got here,” tweeted NBC LA’s Jonathan Gonzalez at the time.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Clay was eventually arrested but James Otis who had also destroyed the star back in 2016 is “now stepping up to pay the $20,000 (£15,000) bail for Clay”, says TMZ.
Otis “isn't just writing a cheque either - he also plans to meet Clay in person as soon as he's released”, adds the website.
While “we don’t know the motive of the pickaxe-wielding star destroyer, the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame represent a certain level of distinction for celebrities”, says Vox.
Fast Company reports that Trump received his Walk of Fame star in 2007, at the peak of his Apprentice fame - but notes that the star “was actually awarded for Trump’s work as a producer of the Miss Universe pageant”.
Otis, the heir to the lift manufacturer’s fortune, told CNN in 2016, he defaced the star in support of women who had accused Trump of sexual assault. He was consequently charged with felony vandalism but avoided jail by pleading no contest. Otis was sentenced to “three years probation and had to pay $4,400 dollars to replace the damaged star”, reports TMZ.
Trump’s star has “also been the subject of protest art, with a wall erected around it in 2016 to symbolise the president’s policy on immigration”, reports The Guardian.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Biden poised to ease marijuana restrictions
Speed Read The move will reclassify it as a less dangerous drug
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
A history of student protest at Columbia University
The Explainer Anti-Israel demonstrations at NYC's Ivy League university echo protests against Vietnam War and South African apartheid
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Trump is ruled in contempt'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Can we — the people who have bought so much already — really keep buying more?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Presidential debates are more performance art than actual ways to inform'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Trump, DeSantis meet for first time since primary
Speed Read The former president and the Florida governor have seemingly mended their rivalry
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Justices set to punt on Trump immunity case
Speed Read Conservative justices signaled support for Trump's protection from criminal charges
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Biden is smart to keep the border-security pressure on'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Arizona grand jury indicts 18 in Trump fake elector plot
Speed Read The state charged Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani and other Trump allies in 2020 election interference case
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Who will win the 2024 presidential election?
In Depth Election year is here. Who are pollsters and experts predicting to win the White House?
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published