A 21-year-old man who was mad at his girlfriend broke into the Dallas Museum of Art on Wednesday night and destroyed several ancient artifacts worth over $5 million.
Police said the man, identified as Brian Hernandez, broke into the museum using a metal chair. He then went on a destructive rampage, smashing several artifacts.
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He broke into a display case and smashed a 6th century B.C. Greek amphora and a Greek pot dating to 450 B.C. These two items alone were worth about $5 million, police said. He also smashed a bowl from 6th century B.C., worth about $100,000, and a ceramic Caddo effigy bottle valued at about $10,000.
Security rushed to apprehend Hernandez, who was unharmed at the time.
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The 21-year-old was taken into custody and charged with criminal mischief of more than or equal to $300,000, which is punishable by five years to life in prison. He was booked into the Dallas County jail the following morning with a bond set at $100,000. Jail records list no attorney for Hernandez.
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A guard reportedly told police that when asked about what he was doing, the accused told them “he got mad at his girl so he broke in and started destroying property,” NBC News reported.
“This was an isolated incident perpetrated by one individual acting alone, whose intent was not theft of art or any objects on view,” museum officials said in a statement Thursday.
“However, some works of art were damaged, and we are still in the process of assessing the extent of the damages.”
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The incident comes days after a man disguised as an elderly woman threw cake at the glass protecting the Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The assault left a creamy white smear on the glass, but the Mona Lisa was not damaged.
